POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF
by immortal6666
Summary: Second year is over and done for Iris Potter, only miserable Dursley holiday to look forward to. Then an ancient secret is revealed which turns her world upside down. She finds herself thrust headlong into a dangerous world where nothing is as it seems. The truth is indeed a beautiful and terrible thing. Fem! Harry. Post Chamber of Secrets.
1. New Revelations

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 1 : New Revelations

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

X-X-X-X-X

A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs.

"KILL THE GIRL! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE GIRL IS BEHIND YOU. SNIFF - SMELL HER."

Iris was on her feet, ready. The basilisk's head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to face her. she could see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow her whole, lined with fangs long as her sword, thin, glittering, venomous—

It lunged blindly - Iris dodged and it hit the Chamber wall. It lunged again, and its forked tongue lashed Iris's side. She raised the sword in both her hands-

The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true - Iris threw her whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth-

But as warm blood drenched Iris's arms, she felt a searing pain just above her elbow. One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into her arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor.

Iris slid down the wall. she gripped the fang that was spreading poison through her body and wrenched it out of her arm. But she knew it was too late. White-hot pain was spreading slowly and steadily from the wound. Even as she dropped the fang and watched her own blood soaking her robes, her vision went foggy.

The Chamber was dissolving in a whirl of dull color.

A patch of scarlet swam past, and Iris heard a soft clatter of claws beside her.

"Fawkes," said Iris thickly. "You were fantastic, Fawkes..."

She felt the bird lay its beautiful head on the spot where the serpent's fang had pierced her. She could hear echoing footsteps and then a dark shadow moved in front of her.

"You're dead, Iris Potter," said Riddle's voice above her. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."

Iris blinked. Fawke's head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers.

"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Iris Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

Iris felt drowsy. Everything around her seemed to be spinning.

"So ends the famous Iris Potter," said Riddle's distant voice. "Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by her friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord she so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Iris... She bought you twelve years of borrowed time... but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must..."

If this is dying, thought Iris, it's not so bad.

Even the pain was leaving her...

But was this dying? Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus. Iris gave her head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting her head on Iris's arm. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound - except that there was no wound.

"Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from her - I said, get away-"

Iris raised her head. Riddle was pointing Iris's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet.

"Phoenix tears..." said Riddle quietly, staring at Iris's arm. "Of course...healing powers... I forgot..."

He looked into Iris's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Iris Potter... you and me..."

He then looked her up and down with a hungry gleam in his eyes, "I have spent the last five decades trapped in a book all alone and deprived of my senses...It has been a long time since I have enjoyed the pleasures of flesh and I have decided to end that drought tonight...In a few moments, I will be fully corporeal...What better way to celebrate my return than to completely dominate my mortal enemy and take away her purity, her innocence?...Yes, I can see that now...The only reason you are still alive is because the Fates felt merciful to you and wanted you to have the privilege of servicing Lord Voldemort, the greatest sorcerer in the world before your inevitable end."

His mention of the deplorable actions he planned to do set off her temper. As her fury rose, she felt a fire ignite within her which soon spread out to make her feel as if she was being burned alive. She screamed in pain feeling like her very blood was boiling and her bones were melting. The pressure around her scar rose rapidly and soon burst out like a volcano.

Due to being distracted by her pain, she did not notice the scream that was not hers. The pain soon receded after the scar burst open and she felt stronger as if she could throw Crabbe or Goyle few feet. She saw him raise his wand as if in slow motion and took off running instinctively picking the basilisk fang in her hand. She was far ahead by the time the first spell impacted the space she had occupied. She ducked under the second spell and rolled over Ginny's body snatching the diary from her hands. She plunged the fang into the book and marvelled at the sight of the incorporeal boy screaming in pain with a big hole in his stomach. She continued stabbing in different places ignoring the ink spurting out in torrents over her hands until Tom Riddle burst into miniscule particles which faded away.

"Take that you egotistical bufoon! Greatest sorcerer, my foot.", she shouted feeling tired all of a sudden.

Iris's wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it.

Shaking all over, Iris pulled herself up. Her head was spinning as though she'd just traveled miles by Floo powder. Slowly, she gathered together her wand and the Sorting Hat, and, with a huge tug, retrieved the glittering sword from the roof of the basilisk's mouth.

Then came a faint moan from nearby. Ginny was stirring. As Iris hurried toward her, she sat up. Her horrified eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Iris, in her blood-soaked robes, then to the diary in her hand.

She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face.

"Iris - oh, Iris - I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy - it was

me, Iris - but I - I s-swear I d-didn't mean to - R-Riddle made me, she t-took me over - and - how did

you kill that - that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is her coming out of the

diary-"

"It's all right," said Iris, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished.

Look! him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here-"

X-X-X-X-X

**2 days later :**

"Ice mice"

The gargoyle moved to reveal a spiralling staircase which started rising the moment she stepped foot on it.

"Come in, Ms. Potter"

She dropped her hand which was raised in the position to knock and entered muttering "Why do I even bother?"

She, on noticing the Head master being busy going through many files, decided to look around the office. The most appropriate term she could think of to describe it was organised chaos. Besides the files and the ink pot, there were many weird trinkets on the table whose purpose she could not deduce. Some were glowing intermittently, some were rotating very fast and the others were puffing out colored smoke at regular intervals. There was a book shelf leaning against the wall containing many old-looking books in different languages. The portraits of previous Headmasters were feigning sleep in hopes of hearing some juicy gossip.

"Please be seated, Ms. Potter. Sherbet Lemon?"

She nearly jumped in shock at that but she managed to keep it down to an undignified squeak. She noticed that he had already closed down the files and had extended one of his sweets to her. She sat down and refused the candy annoyed at herself for getting distracted and vowed to herself to be more careful in the future. Dumbledore's face took on a mournful expression as if he could not geniunely understand why anyone would refuse it and he ate it himself.

"Ms. Potter, the last time we met, I told you that you are ready for the whole truth and requested some time to prepare myself. I would also have to caution you to keep what I tell you a secret. The wrong person knowing it could have some dire consequences."

Dumbledore then froze all the portraits with a wave of his wand and put some extra wards showing how serious he was.

"Tell me Iris, what do you know of Greek Mythology?"

Iris was baffled. When Dumbledore had agreed to reveal the truth, she had thought it would be about the reason Voldemort had a personal vendetta against her. She could not see what Greek Mythology had to do with it.

"After we met the Cerebrus last year, we decided to do a research on it and found a book on it along the way. I found it interesting.", she replied though judging by the twinkle in the headmaster's eyes he already knew that.

"What would you say if I tell you that everything in it is real?"

She knew better than to say her thoughts out loud. Questionable sanity or not, he was known as the one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world for a reason.

"I know what you are thinking. That the combination of old age and candies cost me my sanity. I am not offended, my child. Normal is overrated anyway. I do not wish to overwhelm you but I want you to remember that you thought the same thing about magic a few years ago.", he said.

"So, the Greek gods, demigods, monsters, they are all real?", she asked not knowing what to believe.

"As real as you and me, my child."

"So, did they come to England or what?", she asked.

Dumbledore felt amused on seeing her discretely look into every corner and shadow as if she was trying to spot a hidden god.

"They lived here for some time but they left a few centuries ago. For you to understand properly, I believe a detailed explanation is necessary. As I am fond of saying myself, the best place to start would be in the beginning. I ask that if you have any questions to wait until I finish to ask them."

Dumbledore had a serious expression on his face to which she nodded in reply.

"The earliest knowledge we have is of the third age, Age of the Primordials. We know that the world then was ruled by Ouranos, Primordial God of the Sky but nothing about the regime itself. He was overthrown by his eldest son Kronos, Titan of Time, with help of his wife Gaea, Primordial Goddess of Earth starting the fourth age, Age of Titans. It was known as the Golden Age which is a misnomer. The mortals of the time were ignorant and had the temperament of a wild beast. The monsters walked freely above the ground and feasted on mortals to their content. Then, he learned of a prophecy which stated that he would be overthrown by a child of his. So, he started eating his children right after their birth. The children, being immortal, continued to grow inside his stomach. Rhea, Knonos' wife, finally got fed up of seeing her children being eaten and took action. She disguised a rock as Zeus and tricked her husband into swallowing it while she hid the real Zeus in Mt. Ida. When he became an adult, he fed Kronos a mixture of custard and wine which made him disgorge his children. Then, the cycle repeated with a son overthrowing his father with the help of his mother. Zeus sliced his father into many pieces using his own scythe and spread his essence over the Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. The three brothers then drew lots in which Zeus got the sky, Poseidon the sea and Hades the underworld. It was beginning of the fifth age, Age of the Gods. Do you have any doubts on this part?"

She shook her head and he continued, "The gods built a city on top of Mt. Olympus, well to be more accurate, inside a pocket dimension anchored to the top of Mt. Olympus. As the gods are powered atleast partly by mortal prayers and shaped by human beliefs, changes in mortal system enforces a similar change in them. So, when the power centre of western civilisation changed from Greece to Rome, the gods changed to reflect the military mindset of Romans. Zeus became Jupiter, Ares became Mars, Apollo remained the same mostly while Athena became minor goddess Minerva, many old gods ceased to exist while many new ones suddenly sprung into existence. Olympus shifted locations and was renamed as New Rome. After the fall of Rome, the gods shifted around Europe leaving their marks behind in the places they had lived in until they settled in England. They stayed here for some time and started moving to America a decade or two before their Independence. Now, all the Greek gods except Hecate consider America as their home. As the magical centre of Western civilisation has remained here in our country, Hecate is still living here."

"While it is nice to know that there are other hidden societies, what does it have to do with the wizarding world, Professor?", she asked.

"Iris, you are on the verge of completing your second year here. I want you to tell me your opinion on the school, the buiding that is.", he said.

"Well, the school is situated at the top of the hill, a location that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is surrounded by the forest on two sides, lake on another side both having many creatures which would feast on the attackers and an all magical town called Hogsmeade on the other side. The school compound is surrounded by thick walls and many complicated wards of different time periods. The school has suits of armour on nearly every floor, portraits everywhere, secret passageways, walls pretending to be doors, constantly moving staircases, preference for defence over comfort and beauty. It's less of a school and more of a fortress.", she replied.

Dumbledore smiled proudly at her and said, "Excellent Deduction. Hogwarts was the result of a formal alliance between Celtic and Roman pantheons. Of the founders, Godric Gryffindor was the son of Jupiter, Zeus' Roman counterpart, Helga Hufflepuff daughter of Mercury, Roman god of Merchants and counterpart of Hermes, Rowena Ravenclaw, daughter of Morrighan, Celtic goddess of War and Sovereignty and Salazar Slytherin was the son of Trivia, Roman counterpart of Hecate. Hogwarts began as a camp for magicals and demigods to learn survival skills. The Quidditch Pitch we take for granted was actually a Roman style colosessum which hosted, War games, challenges and so on. There is a reason it is so close to the forest. It is easier to bring monsters from there. With the contacts Helga's maternal line had among the traders and her acute business senses which she had inherited from her father, it was only a matter of time before the school's reputation spread far and wide. Not wanting to be outdone by their Roman counterparts, Greek gods had their children built a school in France called Beauxbatons and Norse built one in Norway called Durmstrang."

"After the schools were established, many problems cropped up. In those days, students were chosen for their ancestry or alleigance towards the pantheon rather than region. So, when a powerful person with no clear ancestry or alleigance came up, it started a fight between the demigods who came to claim him. The already tense rivalry escalated to such a state that a three way war was imminent. At the time, a meeting was called and a peace keeping measure was taken. The Triwizard Tournament, a tournament conducted once in four years. A student from each school was chosen as the champion and had to compete against each other in various tasks. They worked together to create a sentient artifact called the Goblet of Fire to chose the champions as a neutral agent. The tasks were structured in such a way that they test their expertise in various skills like demigod powers, physical combat, magic, ingeniuity, resourcefulness. The winner of the Tournament would be getting some monetary reward, fame and a good job waiting for him after graduation while the school would have the right to claim itself as the best school in Europe until the next tournament. As time went on, the relationship between wizards and demigods turned sour. The people have always feared and envied those more powerful than themselves, politicians more so. So, it was easy to turn the public opinion against them. As the gods were forbidden from interfering in mortal affairs due to the Divine laws, the demigods were left to fend for themselves. Any hopes the gods had of the issue resolving itself vanished with the passing of International Statute of Secrecy and the formation of the Ministry of Magic. It started with the a Registration Act, moved on to declaring certain rites as dark magic and outright banning them or requiring special Ministry sanction to perform and soon demigods were treated as well as the Ministry treated Hagrid this year. The gods decided to shift them to the camp in London run by Chiron for non magical demigods and used Mist to remove all the knowledge of demigods from the minds of wizards. I don't whether the reverse was done. There have not been a demigod in the wizarding world after that who was not a child of Hecate or Loki on the Norse side and even they were a rarity." _until now _he added.

"What exactly is the Mist, Professor?", Iris asked.

"The Mist is a type of magic or force that prevents mortals from seeing creatures, places or people from Greek Mythology, such as gods, monsters and heroes, and instead they see things that they would find normal. Mist is naturally generated when celestial deities like gods and to a lesser extent demigods interact with the mortal world. With enough practice, a strong enough demigod can manipulate the Mist."

Iris nodded and decided that learning to manipulate the Mist would be top priority. Knowing her luck, if Mist was allowed free reign, it would show her as the perperator.

"On an unrelated note, you would also be interested to know that after the Ministry took over the Triwizard Tournament, the new organisers could never understand why it degenerated into a bloodbath when the previous tournaments had all turned alright. They kept on reducing the severity until they could not go lower without turning it into a joke. So, they decided to stop it altogether. You should also know that, without the influence of the tournament, Greek and Roman demigods fought whenever they met. The situation escalated until they nearly wiped each other out during what is called the American Civil War. The gods then used the Mist again to wipe out the knowledge of one from other and they did everything they could to ensure that they don't meet again. So, I would appreciate if you kept quiet about it."

She nodded and asked, "If you don't mind me asking, who is your godly parent? You would have to be a demigod to be privy to this information."

"Take a guess, my child.", he said his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Your mother is Hecate, Goddess of Magic, Crossroads and Necromancy", she replied.

"Correct.", said a different voice, a female one.

Iris quickly turned her head and saw a beautiful woman who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. She was tall, had dark hair flowing down to her shoulders, dark eyes on an oval deathly pale face. She wore a dark red chiton that emphasised her figure and was clasped to her shoulder with a golden pin shaped like a glowing twin torches. She had the kind of figure that would make a supermodel on the cover of Vogue green with envy. Iris was not fashion-savy or obsessed wih her appearance like Parvati and Lavender but she had to admit she felt self-conscious in the presence of the woman.

"Mother, what are you doing here?", Headmaster Dumbledore asked and gave the woman a hug.

"Really, Albus, does a mother really need a reason to visit her little boy?", she asked.

Iris knew that she made the picture of an idiot staring at the sight with wide eyes and open jaws but she could not help it. Anyone would do the same thing when the 'little boy' is a tall wrinkled centenarian with long white hair and beard reaching the ground while the 'mother' looked in her early twenties and had a body that women would sell their souls for. Even though she knew that Dumbledore's mother was a goddess, seeing it was something else. She came to her senses and quickly stood up not wanting to be seen as being disrespectful to a goddess.

"Mother, this is Iris. Iris, this is my mother Hecate.", Dumbledore, being his typical self, introduced them to each other as if it was an everyday occurrence.

"Lady Hecate", she greeted bowing respectfully. The one thing she had learned after coming to the wizarding world was to always act formal and polite to a person until they gave you permission to act otherwise. As its patron, Hecate might have the same expectations.

Hecate bend down to her, cupped her face and spoke, "You seem to have grown into a wonderful young woman. Why! I could have sworn it was yesterday that you were just a baby fascinated by my hair."

Iris would refuse it later even under torture but at that moment her face might have turned slightly red, slightly mind you.

"There is no need to be so formal and stiff. You can simply call me Hecate unless the situation demands otherwise. You have certainly earned the right if what I have heard is true. Nicky and Penny wanted to thank you for trying to save the stone even if it was just a useless chunk of rock not worth risking your life over. They said that it was the gesture that counts.", she said.

"Nicky and Penny? I thought the Flamels were dead."

"Dead? Of course not. Albus, haven't you told her anything?"

"I was getting to that part when you popped in, mother. Iris, I am sure you know that someone born a demigod could be elevated to godhood like Heracles and Dionysus. It starts with the hero's godly parent proposing his name and his achievements to the Council. If 2/3th or higher votes are in favour, the demigod is elevated. If less than half are in favour, the proposal is promptly rejected. If votes are between half and 2/3, the demigod is given another chance to earn it by doing a task or set of tasks jointly decided by the Council as happened with Heracles. Nicholas Flamel, son of Hecate, became the minor God of Alchemy on submitting the Philosopher's Stone while his wife Perenelle, daughter of Athena, became minor Goddess of Architecture for designing Beauxbatons. They have been gods for centuries before Nicholas took me on as an apprentice on my mother's recommendations. With no one interested in Alchemy these days, he saw no point in continuing the cover story.", Dumbledore replied.

Atleast, she now knew why the goddess was friendly with her.

"I guess I should have expected it considering that the obstacles were so easy that three first years could overcome them. Well, anyway, do you know who my godly parent is?"

"I don't know and even if I knew, I would not tell you. It is an unspoken rule not to discuss it openly until the parent claims the child. It is the right of a parent to claim their child however they want.", Hecate said.

"I guess I can understand that. I just want to know whether the parent is male or female.", Iris replied looking at Dumbledore.

"I was not really close to the young couple but I have visited them a few times when Lily was pregnant. My guess is that James either didn't know or care about your ancestry. They looked after you like you were their own child. If on that Halloween, I had not checked you for any side effects of surviving the Killing Curse and found a spell to block your demigod powers, a spell I only recognised due to my own godly heritage, I would never have known.", Dumbledore spoke not looking as jovial as before.

He continued, "Your family was not the only one that was attacked that day. There were simultaneous attacks all over the country. It seemed that Tom was adamant about not being interrupted that night. I had set up charms in the house that monitored their life signs. I felt James' and Lily's go off while yours went unsteady for a few seconds before returning to normal. At that time, all the Death Eaters suddenly fell to their knees clutching their forearm screaming in pain. While it was a miracle for you to live, I worried that without immediate medical treatment you would die. So, I sent a message to the only trustworthy person I could recall who was not fighting, injured or exhausted, Hagrid, to take you to our Hospital Wing. After rounding them up and completing the necessary formalities, I came to check on you and found some interesting things. The block itself was a good thing as it would hide you until you are ready to fight them off but what was worrying was the curse in your scar. It seems that Voldemort intentionally or unintentionally cast a curse on you powered by the magics of Halloween night which was similar to the one on Hogwarts that forces me to search for a new Defense teacher every year. All Poppy's attempts to heal it had only seemed to worsen it. I knew that if left alone, it will attract danger to you monster or otherwise and the very bindings put on you to protect you will cause your doom. So, I prayed to my mother for assistance."

Hecate continued, "I checked your scar and found that ambient magic and spells cast directly at it seemed to strengthen the curse. Only exception was the sacrificial protection cast by your mother and any magic based on your mother's blood which seemed to weaken the curse."

Dumbledore spoke, "So, I considered it fortunate that when I went to Petunia's house to inform her of her sister's death and offer my condolences, I found blood wards surrounding the Dursleys house which kept any magicals without direct blood relation to Lily out unless they have been invited by a resident of the house. I could have broken through it easily as it was already weakening due to the caster's death but I knew that it was the best protection I could give you. I then strengthened the wards adding a few of my creations here and there but it was merely a delaying measure. The wards will remain unstable without a magical blood relative to bond with. So, I had Hagrid bring you there as quickly as possible. Professor McGonnagal, being the resourceful cat that she was tagged along. The wards bonded with you the moment you were in the vicinity. After some tearful good byes, they left while I put you in a cushioned basket with a letter detailing everything and sat invisible in the corner watching over you until Petunia found you in the morning and took you in sealing the bond."

He continued, "I had intended on letting out some false information to the public to atleast reduce your burden but it was too late by then. Anyway, 10 years later, you reentered the wizarding world not happy but as safe as possible. Then the curse reactivated and you know everything that happened in the last two years."

"At least now I know why I have to go to those people.", she said.

Dumbledore and Hecate exchanged a look before she spoke, "Not exactly. There is no point of going back there. The wards have fallen. After you killed the monster, you broke through the bindings and unleashed your godly side. All the mortal spells that were on you have been erased : Lily's protection spell, blood wards and the Riddle's curse the last of which I am sure you are happy about. But, you also sent out a power wave that spread out across the island that every monster felt. Many are already outside the wards trying to bash their way in.", Seeing her horrified look, she added, "Not that they would be successful. The school was build to repel an army of monsters. But, you need a safe place to stay during the summer vacations. Did Albus tell you about the camp Chiron runs?"

"Well, he did mention a camp run by Chiron-Is this Chiron..."

"Yes. The Centaur. The Immortal Trainer of Heroes. I have to leave now. I am sure Albus will explain if you have anymore doubts. When he asked me for help in revealing about gods, I thought it would be a tough job. You took it better than Albus did. It is not much of a complement considering that he let out a high pitched girlish shriek when I told him, high enough to damage my ear drums and I am a goddess.", Hecate said winking at her.

"I assure you that I had not shrieked girlishly. As for Iris, I had broken it to her gently unlike certain someone who just popped into my room while I am changing my clothes and said, 'Albus, my son, I am your real mother'."

"Kids these days. They have no respect for their elders.", she replied.

Iris noted that the goddess did not refute the statement. She found the camaderie the two seemingly different people had interesting. She hoped that someday she would be as comfortable with her parent-her father.

"I have to get going. Best of luck", the goddess said and disappeared after hugging them both.

Dumbledore then took a few forms and said, "I have made most of the arrangements but there are few forms that needs to be signed before you can leave to pack."

Iris sighed. Even magic was not powerful enough to remove the need for paperwork.

X-X-X-X-X

Dumbledore walked around the corpse inspecting it. Whatever he found out seemed to have impressed him considering his excited demeanour.

"It seems that Salazar was as skilled as his reputation stated. He had managed to crossbreed basilisk and Lydian drakon. Impressive, as they are as different as two reptiles without arms or legs can get. Usually when a demigod kills a monster, its physical body ceases to exist and its essence ends up in Tartarus and reforms after some time. Our country is far enough from Tartarus that the monsters here die a permanent death. Anyway, it is customary for a demigod to sacrifice their first kill to their godly parent. Do you, by chance, know how to do it?"

"No, sir."

"The format is 'I, your name, sacrifice my first kill to my godly parent whoever they may be'."

"I, Iris Lillian Potter, sacrifice my first kill to my godly parent whoever they may be"

The monster vanished in a burst of golden light.

Elsewhere, in Olympus, the otherwise monotonous Council meeting was interrupted by a giant drakon that fell out of the sky causing many gods to let out manly screams.

X-X-X-X-X

This story was inspired by another whose name I do not remember. The story also has Dumbledore as son of Hecate but is not as fleshed out as this. I have not found it despite searching for something. If someone knows and decides to tell me, I will comment it as my inspiration.

There will be no overt bashing of anyone unless its already there in canon.


	2. The First Test

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 2 : The First Test

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

X-X-X-X-X

Iris Potter came out of the check in with a smile on her face. Being a magical has its perks. There was a separate section reserved for magicals. While the paperwork and security checks were as stringent, she did not have to wait in a queue as only a rare few magicals travelled by aeroplane, especially from Europe. She looked around at the various people standing there and finally found a sign with her name and place on it. The boy holding it had curly brown hair peaking out of his rasta cap, brown eyes, Caucasian skin, wispy beard and was wearing a green shirt which had the message 'Save the Wild' on it along with the picture of some trees and khaki pants. It seemed that she had finally met someone with the same level of appreciation for nature as her. She had just stepped foot on American soil and life was already off to a good start.

"Are you Iris Potter?"

"Yes, are you Samuel Van Grove?"

"Erm, Well, no. I am Grover Underwood. Sam was supposed to escort you but something came up. I was supposed to escort Percy, my charge, but I lost track of him. I called his home but his stepfather mentioned about them going to Montauk. I contacted the camp and they said that if I was going that far, I might as well take a detour and bring you with me as well."

She gave him the look assessing him. She had always been able to read the body language of others. It was essential to survive the Dursleys. She saw his nervousness, his shame but no deception. He had his head down as if he was waiting for her to reject him and ask for a better escort.

"If we have to go to Montauk to catch a runaway demigod, then we have no time to waste. Come on. Let's go.", she said.

They quickly got into taxi the Grover had arrived in and took off.

"So, you don't mind me escorting you?", he asked.

"Put it this way. I know that my escort will not be treating me like a helpless child unable to do anything on her own.", she replied.

It was true. While she did not want to say that Grover making a blunder was a good thing, there was something about hunting the demigod that had gotten her blood pumping in excitement. It was like the mysteries of the last two years. Hermione was the one who unearths knowledge from obscure records in previously unknown area of the library. When it comes to knowledge, the girl was like a hound with a scent. Nothing escaped her. Iris was more comfortable with the practical application of knowledge. She preffered action over words. Her below par academic performance was due to her disinterest in learning things that has no use for her in the real world rather than any lack of intelligence. Neville, as the only one amongst them to grow up in the wizarding world, was the one they depended on to get the wizard's point of view, both the magical bit and the boy bit. He was also the one who grounded them whenever they went off into their own world forgetting the real one. Iris wished that they were demigods so that they could accompany her on this trip but she knew that not everything would go her way. She would just have to savour the taste of victory alone when she catches up to the errant demigod.

"Grover, did you say something to me?", she asked him.

"I just asked you if you were alright.", he replied bleating nervously, "You have been scratching your hand for no reason for some time."

She looked down at her hands and realized that she had been scratching over her middle finger for quite sometime. Once she stopped scratching, she noticed a weird mark on her finger, like an imprint left just after removing a ring she had been wearing for a long time. It was weird as she was sure she had never worn a ring in her entire life. The markings gradually started darkening on her skin until she found herself wearing a ring. It was not one of the modern rings with thin circular band and a chunk of semi-precious stone stuck on top of it. It was more like an ancient Incan artifact. It was not difficult to guess who her benefactor was as it was made by the skin of the monster she had killed. She instinctively flicked her wrist and saw that she now had a knife in her hand. It looked like a knife, it was bigger than a dagger but smaller than a katana. She realized that she needed to learn more about weapons. She didn't realize that she had been admiring it for some time until she was interrupted.

"It seems your parent has already given you a gift though I have not seen that type of a weapon before.", Grover spoke.

She quickly flicked her wrist the other way and returned it to the ring form. She had a feeling that her weapon was the kind that the less people knew the better.

She then asked about Percy as she could see that he was nervous enough to chew his shirt. He started telling her about their first meeting, how he tried to protect him from bullies, his survival of an attack by Kindly One, their failed attempts to keep him ignorant of the world of Gods, their travel by bus being interrupted by Fates and eventually losing track of him. After hearing the whole story, she began to feel that he was not as bad as she had initially assumed. A boy, sheltered from the darker aspects of the real world, would naturally run away if his friend speaks of his imminent death and runs away leaving him alone. Not all is lost. Grover had created some kind of empathy link with him. So, he would know it the moment Percy dies. Well, she would considering that Grover would either die or end up as a vegetable at that moment. Say what you would about the goat boy, there is no doubting his bravery or stubbornness. Then he was an environmentalist too. That was always a plus point in her book.

It was then that she felt it. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, she felt goosebumps all over her skin, what she called danger sense was warning her that something was coming for her and that something did not have good intentions in mind.

"Grover, did you feel that?", she asked him.

He was confused at first but the confusion soon turned to fear and she knew that he smelled something. He looked through the window at the back and saw something that scared him enough to shout at the driver to go faster. The driver was about to shout back but then he saw something on the rear view mirror that terrified him enough into stamping on the accelerator. She wondered what he saw through the Mist that was dense here due to the godly presence. She could not see anything through the rain initially but when lightning flashed across the sky, she saw it, the head of a serpent huge enough to swallow whole the cab she was sitting in. The driver was trying to drive as fast as he could but she knew that it would be of no use. After her experience in the Chamber of Secrets, she knew that monster snakes could move very fast despite its size, especially since this one did not have to deal with the limitations of closed space like the previous one did.

Even if she expected the strike, it came almost too fast for her to dodge. The sheer power behind the strike caused the cab to overturn and fall to the side. The speed of the vehicle ensured that it went some distance before it stopped. It gave them some precious few minutes to get over their disorientation and assess the situation. The good thing about the situation was that the torn side of the car was facing upwards and so getting out was not difficult. The bad thing about the situation was that the snake would have already surrounded the car and be ready to swallow them the moment they get out. Another equally bad thing about the situation was that if they do not get out quickly enough, the snake might get impatient and just decide to crush the vehicle with them in it.

They got out quickly but the expected strike did not come. The snake seemed content to watch them, well her, at least for the moment flicking her tongue once in a while. It was when her eyes connected with its that she had realised her folly.

~You are not Leto...yet you are of her blood...You will be a tasty snack that would satisfy me till I find the meal I was promised.~

The casual way it dismissed her as a possible threat and branded her as a temporary sustenance terrified her. She had a feeling that the monster facing her had crushed many foes greater than an untrained scrawny little girl with ease.

The snake suddenly lunged at her fangs bared but she could not move. Her body refused to obey her commands and she was left staring at her killer in terror. Unlike the stories, the snake did not seem generous enough to give her time to flash through her entire life, as short as it was, note down all her mistakes and decide how to prevent them if she happened to go back in time with all her memories intact after her death like protagonists sometimes do in stories. Just as its mouth was about to engulf her, she was pulled away from it. It left her and her saviour fall on the road while the snake has head stuck in the opening. She then decided that if she survived the snake, she would do this flash thing at regular intervals during her free time rather than leaving it to the moment of her death.

Grover bleated and muttered, "Why do I always get the unlucky ones? First a Kindly One, now the mighty Python himself."

"Grover", she asked nervously, " When you said the Python, did you mean the one Apollo killed many millenia before?"

"You can say that.", he replied eying the snake warily.

She tried to remember everything she knew about it. She knew that Python was the guardian of the Oracle of Delphi who was sent by an enraged Hera to kill Leto before she gave birth to her children. It failed and once the children grew up, Apollo hunted it down and killed it claiming the Oracle in the process. It was said to be a hard-fought battle in which he defeated by shooting an arrow into its mouth or a hundred arrows, she was not sure about that part. She did not have a bow and arrow with her right now nor were there anyone nearby who is ready to lent her one. Even if she managed to get one, there was no guarantee that she would be any good at it. She was not going to try the suicidal move on the Python when her weapon had lesser reach than the Gryffindor's Sword and consequently lesser chances of success. She did not even consider using magic as it was mostly immune to it, at least to the spells she was proficient in.

The snake finally managed to pull its head out of the wreckage. It then suddenly lunged at her causing them to jump to different sides to avoid its jaws. The moment the head passed by her, she pulled out her knife and thrust it far enough to grace its skin using its own momentum to wound it. It was a good thing she was not close to it as the greenish blood that spilled out was acidic enough to make holes in the road. It was surprising for her to see the knife slice through its skin like butter but it was more surprising for Python who was used to being invulnerable all its existence. The snake was looking at the wound as if it had just seen her slob of an uncle dancing in pink tutu. She shuddered. She did not hate it enough to want it to experience such horrors. It was good to see that its invulnerability was limited to celestial bronze. Now that she knew it was not indestructible, the advantage was on their side. Due to its huge size, there were a lot of places she could injure it but due to their smaller size, the Python would have more difficulty, something which would only increase with the number of injuries inflicted on it.

Python then looked at her tilting its humongous head as if she was a puzzle it had just solved. She did not have to hear it hiss to understand the message. The play time was over.

It lunged at her slower than before which was not necessarily a good thing. While it gave her time to make her move, the snake also had enough time to adjust its direction according to her movement. It was then she heard it. It was the most horrible sound she had ever heard in her life. It sounded like owls being tortured. She clapped her hands to her ears to protect it from damage. She noted that while the noise was painful for her it was torture for the Python. It was painful enough for it to wiggle around in throes of agony. She searched for the source of the sound and found Grover playing a flute. It seemed that Grover had found another weakness of Python and was using it judiciously. She had heard of snake charmers in India who were capable of making a snake dance to their tunes. She had just assumed that they were secret Parselmouths who discussed everything with the snakes beforehand and then performed to the script. She now had greater appreciation and respect for the Indian culture and traditions. She might even give the pain inducing curries and stomach filling biriyanis a try.

The noise suddenly stopped. She recovered faster than the snake and took advantage of it by climbing onto it. Grover kept distracting it by playing that horrible tune and she kept using the knife as a hand hold whenever it looked it was going to lunge at Grover. By the time she reached the head, the snake was already worn out due to the injuries and the venom. It was a testament to its resilience that it had fought for so long. She then stabbed the knife into both its eyes blinding it.

~For Titaness Leto~

She hissed just to spite it further and plunged her knife into its head with a war cry. The mighty Python crumbled into golden particles and was washed away in the rain. She then noticed a ring on the ground similar to the one she had. The moment she touched it, it turned into a knife with a muddy brown handle and what she believed go be Python's teeth. She returned her knives to the ring form and went to check on Grover.

Grover was tired but alright with no serious injuries to worry about.

"Goatboy, when were you going to tell me that your middle name was Heracles?", she asked him.

Grover shuffled his feet-hooves in embarrassment and said, "I didn't mean for it to happen. I was trying to get the branches of the trees to grow and bind the snake."

"Magic works in mysterious ways, my friend. It is not uncommon for it to act on your need rather than your want. Especially magicks involving forces of nature like Bard magic or whatever you call it here. If they like you, you get something extra. If they don't like you, well ..."

Yes. She had declared him as her new best friend. If he had not already earned it by saving her, he definitely earned it by causing the Python so much pain.

"How do you know so much about woodland magic?", he asked her.

She gave him a wise sage smile she had seen Dumbledore give many times, well at least she tried.

"You saved me twice today. Thank you.", she replied.

She was embarrassed that she had to be saved but she was grateful he did not let her become a 'tasty snack'.

"It is nothing. I was just doing my job as your Protector.", he replied embarrassed by her praise, "You did keep it away from me though."

"Alright, compromise. We helped each other and killed the Python together."

She wondered whether a certain god of Music had helped them. It did seem weird that when Grover made a mistake, the result ended up being the very tune that drove the Python into throes of madness. After all, who would know the weakness of Python better than its previous slayer? She was not going to mention the possibility to Grover of course. He was a lot like her friend Neville, he needed self-confidence injected into him at regular intervals. She would just quietly sacrifice something for Apollo after she reaches the camp.

"Do you know what happened to our driver?", she asked him making him look back at her in shock.

They had forgotten the driver. They checked the car and found him, well, if the Underworld had any vacancy for cab drivers, one of them was filled. She really hoped that he had no family that was dependant on his income. It would make her feel worse. There was something she could do though.

"Grover, do you have a drachma, is it?"

He gave her though from his face she knew he did not understand the reason.

"O Charon, Ferryman of Hades, accept this offering and let this recently deceased man face his judgement", she said and placed the coin on his mouth.

The coin disappeared in golden light and a second later the man glowed for a few seconds showing that he was moved on to receive his judgement.

"That was nice of you."

"He might not have known of our world but he tried to get us to safety at the cost of his life. It is the least we could do. Now, I am going to gather necessary supplies. Why don't you work some satyr tracking magic so that we will know where to go next?", she replied.

She searched the car thoroughly and took everything that would be useful to them. She heard the sound of hooves and knew that Grover had returned, in a hurry.

"There is a problem. A monster is heading this way. I think its headed for Percy. We have to get there quickly.", he said.

She should have panicked or at least felt some fear but she was feeling oddly calm and confident. She had been acting weirdly ever since she broke through her bindings. She was calm and cool when she should be fearful or furious while she sometimes loses her temper for small issues.

"How do you know that it is after him and not us.", she asked while keeping pace with him.

"It is the same monster Theseus killed in the Labyrinth. It is headed in his direction."

"A fast moving monster that relies on its physical strength. Interesting. How far is Percy?"

"We can get there on foot. If we are fast enough, we can get there before it does."

A race. Things just got a bit more interesting.

X-X-X-X-X

Percy's POV

_It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf._

_The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder._

_I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, No!_

I woke up with a start.

Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.

With the next thunderclap, my mom woke up. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."

I knew that was crazy. Long Island never saw hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten.

Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on the end. Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice—someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.

My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.

Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... he wasn't exactly Grover.

"Searching all night", he gasped, "What were you thinking?"

My mother looked at me in terror—not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.

"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain, "What happened at school? What is it that you didn't tell me?"

I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"

"Grover, it is rude to barge into someone else's home and make demands of them without even introducing ourselves", said a female voice in a reprimanding tone.

I was startled out of my shock and noticed for the first time a girl standing next to Grover. I guess I should describe her. If any one asked me for an example of something small and cute, she would be the first thing that would come to my mind. She had long reddish brown hair framing her heart shaped face, a nose slightly too big for her face and eyes the colour of leaf, well eye. She had a fringe of hair on the right side of her face long enough to cover her right eye, so I could only assume that both eyes were the same colour.

"I apologise for my acquaintance's behaviour, madame. I am Iris Potter, unclaimed demigod from England. This is Grover, a satyr who was sent to escort your son to the camp. I am afraid that time is not on our side. We must hurry. I will let your son fill you in on anything you have missed.", she spoke to my mom.

"It is alright. If I am going to trust my son's life in your hands, you might as well call me Sally."

She nodded at her and then went past me without even acknowledging me. What was Grover doing here and why did he bring that girl with him? The girl mentioned something about demigods and satyrs. Weren't those Mr. Brunner's myths?

My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now !"

I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.

She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go! "

It was then that I saw another shocking sight. The cute girl from before had returned with their suitcases floating behind her. She was holding a wooden stick in her hand that she was using to control the movement of the suitcases. It looked like I was not the only one surprised by that. Mom and even not-Grover who brought her here was looking at her in shock.

"Stop staring at me and get to the car. We have a monster chasing us."

It snapped them out of their shock. Grover ran for the Camaro-but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked, because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves.

We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the wind shield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.

Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants.

But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo— lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal.

All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... know each other?"

Grover's eyes flitted to the rear view mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said.

"I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."

"Watching me?"

"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily, "I am your friend."

"Urn ... what are you, exactly?"

"That doesn't matter right now."

"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey—"

Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"

I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.

"Goat!" he cried.

"What?"

"I'm a goat from the waist down."

"You just said it didn't matter."

"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!"

"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?"

"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"

"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"

"Of course."

"Then why—"

"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious.

"We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."

"Who I—wait a minute, what do you mean?"

The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.

I then remembered doing that weird 'ward off evil' gesture causing the door to slam onto Gabe's backside hard enough to send him flying upstairs.

"Am I a magician like her?", I asked pointing to the girl on the other side.

The said girl seemed oddly calm and content in the middle of chaos. She had a detached air about her that would have made Buddha jealous. If she had heard my question, she gave no indication of it.

"I don't really know much about her.", he said looking at her weirdly.

"I was instructed to bring her with me. I just know that she knows what is doing.", he said with respect.

"Percy," my mom said, "You are much more than a street magician. There's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."

"Safety from what? Who's after me?"

"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."

"Grover!"

"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"

I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.

My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"The summer camp I told you about." My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared, "The place your father wanted to send you."

"The place you didn't want me to go."

"Please, dear," my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger."

"Because some old ladies cut yarn."

"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means-the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... when someone's about to die."

"Whoa. You said 'you.'"

"No I didn't. I said 'someone.'"

"You meant 'you.' As in me."

"I meant you, like 'someone.' Not you, you. "

"Boys!" my mom said.

She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid-a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.

"What was that?" I asked.

"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring my question.

"Another mile. Please. Please. Please."

I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive. Outside, nothing but rain and darkness-the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.

Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... and the sword he had thrown me.

Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded.

I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.

I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow."

"Percy!" my mom shouted.

"I'm okay..."

I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch.

Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in.

Lightning. That was the only explanation.

We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!"

He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die!

Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope.

"Percy," my mother said, "we have to ..." Her voice faltered.

I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.

I swallowed hard. "Who is—"

"Percy," my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car."

My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.

"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy-you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"

"What?"

Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.

"That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door."

"Mom, you're coming too."

Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.

"No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover."

"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.

The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands-huge meaty hands-were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... was his head. And the points that looked like horns …

"He doesn't want us ," my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line."

"But..."

The doors suddenly opened startling them. They relaxed when they saw that it was the girl.

"Come out, both of you. Yes, you too Sally. We know that if you don't, the boy will continue to stay there until it arrives here.", she said.

"Silly boy. He runs away when he is told not to and wastes time arguing when its time to run.", she muttered.

I don't think she intended for us to hear it but we did. I knew that my cheeks turned red in embarrassment and my mother had an amused smile on her face despite the situation.

I got out of the car quickly and pulled the limp body of Grover out.

He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid. Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist high grass. The girl, Iris, was walking slightly behind us to the right carrying two wicked looking knives acting like a bodyguard. I didn't know where she was hiding them but having those knives in her hand changed her from small and cute to scary.

Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine-bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except under wear-I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms-which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.

His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns-enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.

I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.

I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's-"

"Pasiphae's son," my mother said.

"I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you."

"But he's the Min—"

"Don't say his name," she warned. "Names have power."

The pine tree was still way too far—a hundred yards uphill at least.

I glanced behind me again.

The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows-or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away.

"Food?" Grover moaned.

"Shhh," I told him, "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"

"His eyesight and hearing are too poor to be reliable, a drawback of having the head of a bull. But, he, like most other animals have an amazing sense of smell with which he will soon find us. When he does, I want you to seperate from us and go challenge him to a fight."

"WHAT?"

As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.

Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying. Oops.

"Percy," my mom said, "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way— directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"

"How do you know all this?", I asked mom.

"It will not matter if we do not survive this. Anyway, your mother is right. You cannot defeat it with physical strength alone. You have to use his weaknesses against him. If you can trick him into smashing into a thick tree, you will have a huge advantage.", Iris spoke.

"Why can't you fight it then? Unlike me, you actually have some weapons.", I replied.

"Wait! You do not have any weapon!", she said losing her calm for the first time.

She then looked at Grover as if he was going to suddenly get up and spill the reason for not giving me a weapon or better yet give me the one he had been hiding somewhere. After a moment, she turned back to me as calm as before.

"It seems that tricking him is your only chance. I have a feeling that he is just a bait. There could be monsters waiting in the shadows ready to pounce on your back the moment you are engaged with him. You take care of the half-bull. I will watch your back."

Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill. He'd smelled us.

The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter. The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.

I left Grover with my mom and ran off to stand in front of the pine tree.

I removed my red rain jacket and waved it screaming, "Hey stupid! Groundbeef!"

"Raaaarrrrr!" The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists.

His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.

He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.

The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing.

So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side. The bull-man stormed past me and smashed his head into the tree. I waited close by so that the moment he pulls his head out, I could pull the broken horn off the tree and kill him with it. It didn't happen like that. While a horn did get stuck, it was the one on the other side. Before I knew it, I felt a constricting feeling around my throat and could feel myself being lifted off the ground. My eyes soon met the gleaming hate filled black eyes. I flayed my hands about trying to find the horn. I finally found the horn but the damn thing wasn't coming out. The blackness was creeping through my vision and sleep sounded like a good idea right now but I somehow knew that if I let myself fall asleep it will be a permanent sleep. I couldn't die now. I had to make sure my mom and Grover and even the weird little girl are alright. I put all my effort and desperation into it. The horn came off so suddenly that I almost dropped it. I then plunged the horn straight into where I assumed his heart was. For a moment, I thought I missed but then he crumbled into golden dust particles leaving me to a painful fall. I let myself rest my head on the pine tree feeling tired and disoriented.

I then looked for others and saw the girl facing off with a massive dog size of a truck, Grover lying motionless on the grass and mom, well mom was nowhere nearby. It was when I looked up that I saw it. Two monsters looking very similar to Mrs. Dodds were carrying the motionless body of his mother by her hands.

"Mom"

I instantly regretted it. One of them turned to look at me with her terrifying red eyes and then turned back. They flew to a shadow and disappeared into darkness as if they had never existed. To make it worse, my cry had caused Iris to turn towards them and the hellhound pounced on her the moment she was distracted. She reacted quickly to kill the beast but not quickly enough to escape unmarked. There are three long claw marks on her cheek dripping blood.

The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief I'd just seen my mother being taken. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Iris looking at me with sympathy and understanding in her eyes. She was quite the sight with her torn clothes, dishevelled hair and the claw marks on her cheek. I idly noticed a faded scar on the right side of her forehead, something that would have been covered up by her peculiar hair style.

"It seems the situation was much worse than Grover had let on. Don't worry. As long as your mother is alive, there is hope. We will get her back. But now, we have to get Grover and move to safety before more monsters get here.", she said.

She seemed calm but I knew that she was as affected by tonight's events as he was. She was right. I could not put a helpless Grover in danger just because I wanted to continue crying for my mother. They hauled him up and staggered down into the valley, toward the lights of the farm house.

I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to them-I wasn't going to let them go.

The last thing I remember was collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess's.

They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be."

"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."

X-X-X-X-X

A little experiment with Percy's Pov. The story will be mostly 3rd person pov unless I feel something else is better.


	3. Pinochle with a Horse

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 3 : Pinochle with a Horse

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

X-X-X-X-X

Iris woke up a few times before going back under. She remembered vaguely lying in a soft bed being spoon-fed something that tasted like a buttered croissant. Only it was pudding. A girl with curly blond hair with neat looking grey eyes hovered over the green-eyed girl, smirking as she wiped off some stray bits from the redheaded girl's chin. The girl then noticed that her eyes were open.

"Since the other one didn't know, maybe you can help. What will happen at the summer solstice?", She asked, well, more like interrogated.

"What?", Iris moaned out, her eyes blinking at the naturally lighting in the room.

The blonde looked around, as if afraid someone would overhear.

"What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

"Leave me alone.", The small girl mumbled and then turned back to sleep.

She awoke again and the interrogating girl was gone while a guy was in her stead. A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over her. He had blue eyes- at least a dozen of them-on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands. Naturally, she fell back to sleep again.

When she finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about her surroundings and she saw a window by her side. Outside of it, she gazed across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The window was cracked open as the breeze came in and smelled like strawberries. It was heavenly to her really, like something out of a postcard.

She yawned a bit, clicking her tongue somewhat and felt as though she'd been in Egypt for a while from how dry her mouth was. While looking around, she realised that she was in another infirmary…she was really starting to hate ending up in one all the time!

On the table next to her was some kind of juice in a tall glass. It looked like iced apple juice.

Iris looked at it critically, like it could be poison…but her gut was saying otherwise and when her gut spoke, she tended to listen. Even if it was a poison, she would not be affected as long as it was not a highly potent one. It seemed that the godly energy that flowed through her after she broke the bindings activated the basilisk venom and phoenix tears in her system giving her quicker healing rate along with minor immunity to poisons. It was interesting to see Madam Pomfrey speechless though she believed it was her accidental magic that activated them. Madam Pomfrey also mentioned that she had no idea how good those new abilities would be as she was in a 'transition' state. It did not make her an unbeatable killing machine though. Her increased healing rate was nothing compared to the stories of master vampires or perhaps the reality of Greek gods. It just meant she healed slightly faster than she usually would have. Of course, in the life of a demigod, there would be situations where small advantages could be the difference between life and death.

So, she decided to see if it would kill her or not. Her hand was a bit weak at first, but a few flexes of her finger and rotating of the arm; she got the feeling back in it while picking up the glass, or moved it enough so her mouth could reach the straw.

The auburn haired girl took a tiny sip, just in case, and gasped lightly, it tasted like hot chocolate…it was brilliant. Iris felt a bundle of energy build up in her from the magic drink or whatever they call it here, and felt as though she could lift a troll. She eagerly had some more, enjoying the feeling of warmth spreading through her body.

After licking her lips a bit and put the half filled cup on the table, she pulled the blanket off and swung her legs to the sides. She then started her infirmary exercises. Swinging her legs back and forth to get the feeling back in them as while rotating her shoulders, but winced a bit as she moved her left one.

After the bit of stretching, Iris stood up and only wobbled a little bit. She saw her shoulder bag that had Undetectable Extension charm on it and sneakers in the corner and checked it immediately. Her cloak, wand, and all other belongings were in it. Throwing her bag over the good right shoulder and putting her shoes on, she turned to the door and opened it to walk out onto the porch. She took the magic drink with her. As she got out, the window postcard scene was before her but much bigger and it was even more breathtaking. Iris admitted that she could just look at it for hours, it was so peaceful.

There were a few chairs, tables, and lounge chairs spread about the porch. Sitting on one was Percy Jackson, the boy who came with her to the camp. Now that she took a good look at him, he looked about her age, maybe older compared to the petite frame she had. His legs were covered by a blanket and had a pillow to his back. On his lap was a shoebox and in it was a jagged white and black horn.

"...fault"

"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you.", said the curly brown haired boy who she recognised as Grover.

He was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD.

"Did my mother ask you to protect me?"

"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least...I was."

"But why...", the sitting boy asked, sounding woozy, Iris wanted to know too as she took a casual sip from of drink in her hand.

"Don't strain yourself", the goat boy said, "here."

He held the glass to the raven-haired boy's lips.

"Grover"

The boy turned around, and looked shocked.

"Iris!", he said, letting out a nervous bleating noise that sounded goatish.

It was funny.

"You shouldn't even be standing.", he said as he walked over to her while taking the bag from her shoulder and gentle lead her into one of the lounge chairs next to the other boy, much to her protest. The two demigods sat there sipping their drinks until only quarter was left.

"Was it good?", Grover asked them.

Percy nodded while Iris spoke, "It was amazing."

"What did it taste like?", he asked sounding wistful.

Percy looked frowned somewhat while the girl blinked.

Why didn't he have any? Iris wondered.

"Sorry", Percy said feeling guilty, "I should've let you taste."

Grover's eyes got wide in surprise and he said, "No! That's not what I meant. I just... wondered."

"It tasted like hot chocolate to me.", Iris supplied to him.

"Chocolate-chip cookies," Percy said, "My mom's. Homemade."

Iris sighed a bit, lucky him.

He heard her and looked curious.

"Doesn't your mom make you anything home made?", he asked

"No."

"Why?", he asked

"She is dead.", Iris said bluntly.

He winced, "I'm sorry, um, your dad?"

"Dead.", she replied in annoyance.

Take a hint; we all aren't lucky like you. Iris thought darkly.

Percy stopped talking and turned away embarrassed. Iris was thankful.

Grover sighed. "And how do you two feel?"

"Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards." Percy answered him happy to get away from this awkward moment.

"Who?" Iris asked

"A bully in my old school." he answered her.

"Oh", she stated with a shrug

"Anyway, I feel like I could run a marathon and not even feel tired a smidge.", Iris said with a playful yawn, getting Grover to chuckle lightly.

"That's good," Grover said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff."

"What do you mean?" Percy asked in confusion.

Iris frowned, "Yeah, I mean, sure it's a potion or whatever you call it here, but shouldn't we finish it for the full effect?" she asked.

She may have had average grades in potions, which should be higher but the evil potions professor hated her dad's guts, therefore he hated her for being his 'evil spawn' and tries to fail her at every class. Greasy git.

Grover didn't answer and took the cups gingerly, as though they would blow up at any second if he didn't handle them with utmost care.

"Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting."

It was then the girl noticed that the porch was wrapped all the way around the farmhouse. Percy's legs looked wobbly as he tried to walk that far. He should have done infirmary stretches like she had. She was feeling better and was able to stand up right.

Grover offered to carry his Minotaur horn and her bag, but Percy had said he'd hold on to it, looking stern. Iris thanked him though while handing it to him, trusting the boy with her stuff.

As they came around the opposite end of the house, Iris caught her breath once more.

They must've been on the edge of the states or something, because on that side of the house, the valley rolled all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, the girl simply couldn't process everything without getting giddy. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture-an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, and a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns shining in the sun. She wondered whether that was what Beauxbatons Academy looked like. She then decided that the next time she saw her headmaster, she would pester him until he sends a group of Hogwarts students including her on a field trip to Beauxbatons to 'encourage international cooperation'.

In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs playing volleyball, which seemed fun to watch. Canoes were gliding across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and some of their horses had wings! Iris knew that the magical world had winged horses, but these looked grander somehow.

Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blonde haired girl who'd spoon-fed the green eyed witch croissant-flavored pudding and tried to interrogate her, was leaning on the porch rail next to them.

The man facing the kids was small, but plump. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like he could out eat her uncle and cousin, and that was saying something. But he also looked like someone you would always see at a party of the more adult variety, mostly because of alcohol. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt. The main thing that got Iris was how powerful he was. She inwardly shivered at the power rolling off him in waves. Sure, Dumbledore was strong, yes, but this man? He made the headmaster look like an ant, or something even lower on the food chain.

"That's Mr. D", Grover murmured to the kids. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And Percy already knows Chiron..."

He pointed at the guy whose back was to them. First Iris realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. He had a tweed jacket, thinning brown hair; a scraggly beard that fit him just right, unlike the headmaster's whose was so long it was a Merlin wannabe.

"Mr. Brunner!" Percy cried out. The auburn haired girl looked at him funny, why was he shouting? Didn't Grover just say his name was Chiron?

The man looked at them and had this twinkle in his eye that rang some mischief as he smiled kindly.

"Ah, good, Percy, Iris" he said. "Now we have five for pinochle."

He offered Percy and her the chairs to the right of Mr. D, who looked at them with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

"Uh, thanks."

She scooted away as far as she could from Mr. D. If he was not a drunkard, she was actually Voldemort in disguise. For some reason, the boy followed her lead.

"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl.

She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you both back to health, Percy, Iris."

She was probably her age, maybe half a foot taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair and her well developed...assets both on the front and the back, she was almost exactly what she thought a stereotypical American girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image.

They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty in their own way, but intimidating too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take them down in a fight.

"Thank you Annabeth.", she said not wanting the girl to feel that she was ungrateful for taking care of her even if it was due to selfish reasons.

"Though I would have preferred to be interrogated when I was lucid and actually able to answer."

"Interrogation?", Chiron asked confused while Annabeth looked uncomfortable.

It was not hard to put two and two together and get four. Unfortunately, the boy beside her seemed to be the slow type and needed all the help he could get. Well, she might as well help him along.

"Sir, wasn't she authorised to interrogate the newcomers? She asked me what was going to happen at Summer Solistice. Atleast, that is the only thing I remember. Why she thought I was a seer, I don't know.", Iris said with an innocent face.

On hearing that, Chiron looked at Annabeth sternly and said, "We will talk about it later."

Iris enjoyed the sight of her rapidly paling face. While she was impressed by her tactic of extracting secrets from people and using it against them later as blackmail, she was not happy that the girl tried to use it against her. It was a good thing she did not have any secrets important enough for her to worry. She might not have done it if Chiron was like his counterpart in the west when it came to discipline. The most she would get would be a little scolding and the common weapon of adults all over the world : the infamous disappointed look. Atleast that will teach her that she, Iris Potter, was a foe not to be trifled with.

"I believe Albus was the one who introduced you to our world, am I right?", Chiron asked gently to which she nodded.

"Albus?", Percy asked.

"He told me a bit of general information about the origins and about how Gods influenced that side of the pond. As for the others, he told me that it was something I have to learn on my own, something about going off on my own adventure.", she replied.

She noticed that Mr.D's face screwed up in dislike when she mentioned that side of the pond.

She told Percy, "He is the headmaster of my school and a demigod son of Hecate. I will explain more later."

"That sounds like him. It seems he hasn't changed much over the years.", Chiron replied with a reminiscent smile, "He came here at a time when there was a war going on in Europe. We had to take stricter measures on the newcomers to ensure the safety of the campers. The fact that Albus came from England which was in the centre of it only put him under more scrutiny. Most of the demigods here have experienced many hardships and losses like you did in their journey here. They come here because they consider this the safest place for them, their new home, trusting us to protect them. We do not betray their trust by interrogating them when they are vulnerable unless dangers of wartime necessitates it.", he replied giving Annabeth another stern look when he spoke the last sentence.

Iris could almost see Annabeth shrinking like a mouse in shame and started feeling bad. She decided to speak to her later to tell her that there were no hard feelings between them. After all, she was not the first person to cross the line of politeness due to her curiousity.

"Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron."

She glanced at the minotaur horn in Percy's hands, then back at him. Percy sat straighter and slightly puffed out his chest as if he imagined that the grey eyed girl was going to say, You killed a minotaur! or Wow, you're so awesome! or something like that.

Instead she said, "You drool when you sleep."

Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.

Iris started laughing, well, it was more of a cackling like a hyena. She could not help it. The sight of Percy's face with his mouth wide open in shock was so funny. She wished she had a camera with her so that she could capture the priceless moment. Perhaps, the magical world had a way to store memories and take pictures from it. She would have to ask Dumbledore the next time she gets to talk to him.

Once he was sure that she had stopped, Chiron said, "As for you, Iris, with Percy, cabin eleven is filled to its limits. So, we will arrange for you to stay here at the Big House, for now."

She translated the 'for now' as 'until either you or someone in cabin eleven is claimed'.

"So", Percy said, anxious to change the subject, "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?"

Iris resisted the urge to palm her face. There was slow and then there was sssslllloooowwww. How many times did have to be introduced as Chiron for him to understand?

"Not Mr. Brunner", the ex-Mr. Brunner said, "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."

"Okay.", Percy replied looking totally confused.

He then looked at the director and said, "And Mr. D ... does that stand for something?"

"D stands for dangerous, Percy.", she replied hoping that he would take the hint.

Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards.

"Well, atleast someone is intelligent enough to understand. Hopefully, you will not be as bad as the other brats here."

He looked at Percy like he'd just belched loudly, "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"I must say, Percy," Chiron broke in, "I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."

"House call?"

"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to ... ah, take a leave of absence."

Percy tried to remember the beginning of the school year. It seemed like so long ago, but he did have a fuzzy memory of there being another Latin teacher his first week at Yancy. Then, without explanation, he had disappeared and Mr. Brunner had taken the class.

"You came to Yancy just to teach me?", Percy asked.

Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp

Half-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test."

"Grover," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?"

"Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair, though Percy didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.

"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed them suspiciously.

"I'm afraid not", Percy said.

"I'm afraid not, sir.", Iris said.

"Young man, look at the girl. She knows to properly respect her superiors. I suggest you learn something from her. Now repeat after me. 'I am afraid not, sir.' "

Iris knew the only reason Mr. D was complementing her was to piss off Percy. Still, she took it with grace.

"I am afraid not sir.", Percy repeated.

He was liking the camp director less and less.

"Well", he told them, "It is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men and women to know the rules."

"I'm sure they can learn", Chiron said.

"Please", Percy said, "what is this place? What am I doing here? Chiron why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"

Mr. D snorted and said, "I asked the same question."

The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile.

Chiron smiled at Percy sympathetically as if to let him know that no matter what his average was, he was his star student. He expected him to have the right answer.

"Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?'

"She said ...", Percy's eyes turned sad as if he was remembering how she looked, unconsciously looking out over the sea, "She told me she was afraid to send

me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her."

Iris sighed. A soft part of her that was buried quite deep due to her less than stellar childhood felt for the boy. He was just starting to see how harsh and cruel life could be.

"Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?"

Iris held her cards in front of her face to hide the expression of disgust that came across her face. What an insensitive jerk! Even if it might have been true, he did not have to say it to his face. True, the boy was a bit slow on the uptake and had a way of getting on your nerves but he did not deserve that kind of cruelty.

"What?", Percy asked.

Mr. D explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so he did.

"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."

"Orientation film?" Percy asked.

"No," Chiron decided, "Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know-" he pointed to the horn in the shoe box- "that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods- the forces you call the Greek gods- are very much alive."

Percy stared at the others around the table.

He waited for somebody to yell, Not!

But all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!"

He cackled as he tallied up his points.

"Mr. D", Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"

"Eh? Oh, all right."

Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully.

"Wait", Percy told Chiron, "You're telling me there's such a thing as god."

"Well, now", Chiron said, "God- capital G , God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."

"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about-"

"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."

Iris noted with amusement that Mr. D did not seem happy to be considered a 'smaller matter'. Perhaps it was a subtle revenge on Chiron's part for Mr. D's previous insensitive comment. She atleast hoped so.

"Smaller?"

"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class."

"Zeus," Percy said, "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."

And there it was again, distant thunder on a cloud less day.

"Young man", said Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."

"But they're stories", Percy said, "They're- myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."

"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"-he flinched when he said what she guessed was his real name,- "what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?", Mr. D continued, "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals- they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."

She saw Percy look at Mr. D then at the silent Grover who was dutifully chewing the aluminum can without looking up. It seemed that Percy was finally beginning to see that there is more to Mr. D than it seemed.

"Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"

Percy seemed about to answer that it sounded like a pretty good deal, he hesitated.

"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," he said.

"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that some day people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"

She gasped. That was cruel. It was then that she noticed that Chiron was observing the boy waiting for something. She then understood that he was trying to get Percy angry enough to accidentally use his powers and give them certain evidence of his parentage.

Amazingly, Percy kept his temper under control. Maybe he caught on to their ulterior motives as well.

Percy said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods."

She mentally facepalmed. She was getting a headache from his stubbornness and she was not even the one talking to him.

"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."

Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."

"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe.'"

He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine. She saw Percy looking at it as if it was from outer space and she could not blame him. She was impressed herself. As a Transfiguration prodigy, Professor McGonnagal had taught her many tips and tricks that were outside the syllabus. She knew that conjuration of a cup with complex designs was something only a master of the art could do. Considering the fact that it was done without a wand or any other conduit but also that the cup contained wine which was one of the items considered impossible to conjure as stated in one of the Gamp's laws of Transfiguration. If that is not enough proof that he was no mortal, then she didn't know what was. She had a feeling that the boy was staring at it for some other reason.

"Mr. D", Chiron warned, "your restrictions."

Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.

"Dear me.", He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"

More thunder.

Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.

Chiron winked at them and said, "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."

"A wood nymph," Percy repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space.

"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time- well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away- the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha.' Absolutely unfair."

Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid.

"And ...", Percy stammered, "your father is ..."

"Di immortales, Chiron", Mr. D said, "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course."

Percy looked like he was thinking through everything that was told to him to identify the god infront of him. She snidely wondered how much of a hard work it must have been for him but then felt bad about it. It was not right to make fun of someone for being less intellectually gifted than her...well...not too much.

"You're Dionysus", Percy said. "The god of wine."

Ha. Finally.

Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?"

"Y-yes, Mr. D."

"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"

"You're a god."

"Yes, child."

"A god. You."

Iris put her cards down and actually facepalmed. She saw Mr. D look directly into Percy's eyes and his purple eyes started glowing. She saw the raven-haired boy wince many times and even whimper.

She leaned towards Chiron and asked apprehensively, "Is he actually allowed to play around with our minds?".

"Nah! Mr. D wouldn't do anything like that."

If it wasn't usual occurence, Percy must have really pissed him off to get the special treatment.

"Would you like to test me, child?", he said quietly.

"No. No, sir."

The glow died a little. He turned back to his card game and said, "I believe I win."

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."

For a moment, Mr. D looked like he was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He got up, and Grover rose, too.

"I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."

Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir."

Mr. D turned to the boy, "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners."

He then nodded at her and swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably.

"Will Grover be okay?", Percy asked Chiron.

She wanted to know that too.

Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been ... ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."

"Mount Olympus", Percy said, "You're telling me there really is a palace there?"

"There is a palace still there, I believe. But, it had been abandoned for many millenia. So, I don't think it is exactly livable.", Iris spoke.

"Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece with an abandoned palace like Iris mentioned.", Chiron spoke with an amused smile on his face, "And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."

"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like ... in America ?"

"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West."

"The what?"

"Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know- or as I hope you know, since you passed my course- the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps- Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on- but the same forces, the same gods."

"And then they died."

Iris sighed. She decided that if she ever rose to a position with some influence in the Olympian Council, she would recommend Chiron as the God of Patience and Perseverance. If he actually succeeds in teaching Percy something, she might even add God of Teachers to it. It was then something else occurred to her. Why wasn't he already a God? True, she might have only been jesting but Chiron had been training heroes for many millenia bringing out the best in them. Surely, some godly parent would have been thankful enough to recommend him for godhood.

"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see

them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not- and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either- America is now the heart of the flame. It

is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."

Iris opened her mouth and then closed it. She could see that Pefcy was confused enough. Mentioning the exceptions at that time would only make Chiron's hard work pointless.

"Who are you, Chiron? Who ... who am I?"

Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he was going to get up out of his wheelchair.

"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be smores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."

And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, he thought Chiron was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, he realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an

animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.

Percy stared at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of his Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.

Despite having an advantage over her new friend of being prepared, Iris was still surprised and impressed. Sub dimensional spaces were quite common in the magical world from multi-compartment trunks to rooms with expansion charms and even her own shoulder bag but still it was a delight to see it at work and the various creative applications it could be used for.

"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson, Iris Potter. Let's meet the other campers."

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Next chapter will have many clues to Iris' godly parentage. I am sure many of you have already guessed her parent but I am in the mood to be mysterious.


	4. Exploring the Camp

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 4 : Exploring the Camp

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

X-X-X-X-X

Once Percy got over the fact that his Latin teacher was a horse, we had a nice tour, though we were careful not to walk behind him. Let's say, we did not trust Chiron's back end the way we trusted his front.

We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the Minotaur horn Percy was carrying.

Another said, "That's him ."

Another pointed at her and said, "That's her."

Having already had some experience with fame, I gave them a friendly wave. It helped that I was famous for a greater achievement than merely surviving.

Most of the campers were older than her. Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters.

She suddenly had the distinct impression that she was being watched. She looked back at the farm house but found no one.

"What's up there?", Percy asked Chiron pointing to the uppermost window of the attic gable.

It seemed that Percy had managed to spot something she didn't. He looked where Percy was pointing, and his smile faded.

"Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?"

"No", he said with finality, "Not a single living thing."

She got the feeling that Chiron was telling the truth. She wanted to ask about it but she could see how uncomfortable he was. While she knew that here Necromancy was one of the domains of Hecate rather than a field of magic that was declared as Dark Arts and banned, she personally preffered dead to stay dead but she understood that Hecate children had the right to practice their arts as long as it didn't harm anyone. 'Live and Let Live' policy and all that.

"Come along, Percy, Iris", Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced, "Lots to see."

We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe.

Chiron told us that the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus.

"It pays our expenses", he explained, "And the strawberries take almost no effort."

He said Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead.

They watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. She wondered if Grover could work that kind of magic with music, well...without damaging the eardrums of bystanders.

She wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D.

"Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?" Percy asked Chiron. "I mean ... he was a good protector. Really."

Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horses back like a saddle. "Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill."

"But he did that!"

"I might agree with you," Chiron said. "But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate ... ah ... fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part."

She tried to not think about Sally's 'unfortunate fate' as Chiron put it. She knew why Chiron had used that term. There was no proof of her death. For all she knew, the woman was still alive in the Underworld under Hades' clutches being punished for having child of his rival.

If there was one thing she learned as the friend of Neville Longbottom, it was that being alive was not always a good thing. She and Hermione had visited St. Mungos last summer with the Longbottom family and the sight there reduced them into tears. His father was sitting there with gaunt face and sunken eyes as still as a statue with no reaction to outside stimuli. If he did not blink once in a while, he would have been declared dead long ago. His mother, nothing like the beauty she was before the attack, can move slowly but cannot talk or even recognise their son. She atleast had the privilege to know that her parents died as heroes while Neville had to watch his parents, pale shadow of what they once were, live a cursed existence wishing for them to die but feeling guilty for giving up on them.

She hoped that Percy would not have to endure such pain but hope was all she had. The corpse of Sally Jackson would sent a good message to Percy and his father but Sally reduced to such a cursed life would serve as a long term reminder for them.

"They do know that Grover had to be dragged inside because he was magically exhausted after helping me kill the Python, right?", Iris asked.

"Yes, they do. I believe that is the reason they are discussing the issue rather than outright rejecting him.", Chiron replied.

"When you say a Python-"

"Yes. The one Apollo killed to get control of the Oracle and earn the title of God of Prophecies.", she replied.

Percy looked deflated. From what she had seen of his posturing in front of the Annabeth girl, she could guess his thoughts. Killing a Minotaur didn't seem like a great feat when there was someone who killed the mighty Python. She considered reminding him that it was a team effort but decided against it. A little humility would not hurt him much. It might even cause him to think before pulling stunts like the one with Mr. D. Hopefully. She did not want her new friend to become the late one.

"He'll get a second chance, won't he?", Percy asked Chiron.

Chiron winced and said, "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. As you know, his second attempt cannot be classified as success or failure. Usually, in those cases, failure of the first attempt would have weighed against him and he would have been rejected immediately. Once he is rejected, the decision is for life and is unchangeable. But, his actions against Python showed a potential they could not afford to waste. It is a complicated situation. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age..."

"How old is he?"

"Oh, twenty-eight."

"What! And he's in sixth grade?"

"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."

"That's horrible."

"Quite," Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accomplished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career..."

"That's not fair," Percy said. "What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"

Iris cringed. She started wondering whether it was too late to get rid of him and find a safer and more tactful friend. Then she remembered that he had just seen his mother kidnapped and his step father was an unhygienic version of her uncle Vernon. Other than Grover, she was the only friend he had. She suddenly didn't feel like leaving him anymore. Curse her and her soft spot for strays.

"Percy, when Chiron said Grover failed the first time, he meant that the demigod he was in charge of died before they reached the safety of the camp. I am sure their godly parent and other loved ones would explain to you in great detail whether it was really so bad.", she paused to enjoy his cringe and continued, "As I said, the godly parent was no doubt furious and would have put pressure on the Council to reject his request. Despite that, the Council gave him a second chance and he hasn't even got the proper success to justify the second chance to the angry parent."

"Come, Percy, Iris. Let's see the woods.", Chiron said in an obvious attempt to move the conversation away from dangerous waters, atleast obvious to her.

As we got closer, she realized how huge the forest was. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans.

Chiron said, "The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed."

"Stocked with what?" Percy asked. "Armed with what?"

"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?"

"My own—?"

"I have a couple of knives but they are not the kind that can be used in a game."

"No," Chiron said. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do. Perhaps, size two for you, Iris. I'll visit the armory later."

We then saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't

seem to like very much), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheatre, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.

"Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall."

Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea.

There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.

"What do you do when it rains?" I asked.

Chiron looked at me as if I'd gone a little weird.

"We still have to eat, don't we?"

"Percy, I don't think it has rained here for a long time, if ever. I know that the camp is considered a neutral territory where the children of all gods can live together and mingle freely. Perhaps, thats the reason the gods made it a rain-free zone. Or they don't want their children to have a valid excuse to slack off their training. It has been that way for long enough that Chiron doesn't remember a time before it.", she told him quietly.

Iris shook her head sadly. For once, Percy asked a good question and Chiron decided to be the obtuse one.

Finally, he showed us the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. And they were without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings she'd ever seen.

Except for the fact that they each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory.

Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass.

Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at.

They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops (which were more my speed).

In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick. What was even more more shocking for Percy was that there was a beautiful swan-like bird that, as far as he could see, was literally made of fire resting on her left shoulder.

"Fawkes"

He saw Iris run towards it as if she was greeting an old friend and the bird flying in her direction with similar enthusiasm. She took the bird in her arms and stroked it behind its head.

"What are you doing here, Fawkes? Are you here because you missed my farewell or are you here to welcome me to my new home?", she asked.

The bird trilled something in its soft voice and she seemed to have understood it.

"He usually doesn't come here. But, for some reason, he was quite intent on coming here today.", the girl said with a smile on her face.

"Lady Hestia", Chiron said kneeling on his horse legs and bowed. Others followed.

"Don't bother, Chiron. You know that I don't care much for those formalities. Unless you prefer to called Lady Potter, Iris.", Hestia spoke with a smile on her face.

There was a motherly air around the girl that made them feel warm and safe.

"No. Call me Iris."

"Come here and have a seat, children. You too Chiron. You have been pushing yourself too hard.", she admonished.

Chiron sat down with them after some half-hearted protest. It was amusing to se a grown up centaur being scolded like a child by a 9 year old girl.

With a clap of her hands, she summoned a plate each of everyone's favourite dishes. Atleast he assumed as much as his favourite blue waffles sat in front of him prepared just as his mom would have.

Hestia's clothes suddenly went ablaze startling him. The fire soon molded itself and settled in leaving her in a type of clothing that would have been normal on a Buddhist monk if not for the moving designs on it. The first picture was of a family sitting around a campfire. The second was of a family standing in front of a large lit fireplace in which the man throws something into the fire causing it to grow larger and turn green. The last was of the bird on Iris' shoulder flying majestically leaving trails of fire behind.

"The patron of Floo system and phoenix as your symbol. It is quite appropriate. You are certainly a badass goddess, aren't you?", Iris said with admiration, "So, how did Fawkes end up with the headmaster?"

"Thank you. It has been a long time since someone has complemented me. Badass. I like it. As for your question, it was right after he became the headmaster. I went to warn him that tough times were coming. I felt sad that he had to fight a war against another tyrant closer to home after he had already given his best in the previous war against the son of Silver tongue. Sadly, any help I could provide was limited. So, I made him my champion after the necessary oaths were taken and gave him a companion who he can count on for support during the dark times. The phoenix is respected and revered in all magical societies even if they had forgotten the reason for it. I figured he could use all the help and support he could get.", she had a contemplating look on her face for a moment before she shook her head and continued, "Let's not talk of depressing matters on a wonderful day, children. Come on, everyone. Eat up."

While they started eating, Fawkes suddenly flew up and started circling around them. He started singing and she felt all the tension in her body drain away. She could see the effect the song had on the others. Percy was smiling for the first time since she had known him, a happy relaxed smile. If what she was seeing was any indication, he would be the most well sought after boy in the camp. Chiron looked like a heavy burden of sorrow and regret that no one noticed he was carrying had just been lifted. He looked younger, more energetic and happier. Suddenly, Fawkes burst into fire and disappeared startling them.

"What happened? Where did it go?", Percy asked.

"He is in England right now with the headmaster, Percy. What you just saw was their method of instantaneous travel.", Iris replied.

"Hestia, it was nice of you to treat us but we have to get going. They still have a lot left to see.", Chiron told the goddess.

"Don't mind me. It was nice to have a company once in a while. Iris, you should know that a friend of yours will be coming here soon to join you."

"Hedwig? I know. I believe she is familiarising herself with our new home.", Iris replied smiling.

"In that case, continue on your journey, children. I will not be taking any more of your time."

She suddenly vanished leaving the fire burning. It was as if she had never been there. Chiron shook his head and then continued to show them around.

The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them.

Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.

"Zeus and Hera?" Percy guessed.

"Correct," Chiron said.

"Their cabins look empty."

"Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two."

Okay. So each cabin had a different god, like a mascot.

Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians. But why would some be empty?

He stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three.

It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor. He peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!"

Before Chiron could pull him back, he caught the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so sad and lonely, he was glad when Chiron put his hand on his shoulder and said, "Come along, Percy."

Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.

Number five was bright red-a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists.

The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow them. Inside he could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on him and gave him an evil sneer. She reminded him of Nancy Bobofit, though the camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red.

We kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves.

"We haven't seen any other centaurs.", Percy spoke.

"No," said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. Iris might tell you later about our Celtic counterparts who are capable of divining the future by observing the skies. But you won't see any here."

"How much am I actually allowed to tell them, Chiron?", Iris asked.

"Oh, they know about the magical society, at least one in here. If they don't know about the one in England, it is because they had no need to know rather than the Gods hiding it. Gods have only removed the knowledge of their existence from the records of the wizards of Europe. The magical creatures there and magicals here know the truth. There is no need to hide anything here.", Chiron replied.

Percy spoke, "You said your name was Chiron. Are you really ..."

He smiled down at them and said, "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Heracles and all that? Yes, Percy, I am."

"But, shouldn't you be dead?"

Iris winced. She decided that she would recommend Percy as God of Tactlessness and Thickheadedness.

Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. "I honestly don't know about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could continue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish ... and I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed."

Percy thought about being a teacher for three thousand years. It wouldn't have made his Top Ten Things to Wish For list.

"Doesn't it ever get boring?"

"No, no", he said, "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring."

"Why depressing?"

Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing again.

"Oh, look", he said, "Annabeth is waiting for us."

The blonde girl we'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven.

When we reached her, she looked him over critically, like she was still thinking about how much he drooled.

Percy tried to see what she was reading, but he couldn't make out the title. He thought his dyslexia was acting up. Then he realized the title wasn't even English. The letters looked Greek to him, literally Greek.

There were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book.

"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"

" Yes, sir."

"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it... ?

A caduceus.

Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center. Iris now understood that when Chiron mentioned the cabin eleven being filled to its limits, he meant it quite literally. She felt thankful that she did not have to stay there. She had a great fear and hatred of tight, enclosed spaces as they reminded her of her childhood in the cupboard under the stairs, the room in the corridor and even the Chamber compared to the beast.

Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully.

"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner."

He galloped away toward the archery range.

Percy stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing anymore. They were staring at him, sizing him up. He knew this routine. He'd gone through it at enough schools.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on."

So naturally he tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of myself.

There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything.

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.

He didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."

Everybody groaned.

A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward.

"Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing. He then looked at his first demigod friend and knew that it was not his imagination. The expression on her face sent a shiver down his spine and he suddenly felt sympathy for the blond girl.

She saw them looking, and her expression hardened again.

"He's your counselor for now."

"For now?", I asked.

"You're undetermined", Luke explained patiently, "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

He looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given him. He had nothing to put there to mark it as his own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag; all of them had burned down along with the car. Just the Minotaur's horn. He thought about setting that down, but then he remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves.

He looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing him as if they were waiting for a chance to pick his pockets.

"How long will I be here?", Percy asked.

"Good question", Luke said, "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?"

The campers all laughed.

"Come on", Annabeth told us. "I'll show you both the volleyball court."

"I've already seen it."

"Come on."

The girls grabbed his wrist and dragged him outside. He could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind him.

When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."

"Yes Annie. When you saw Luke, you realised that he was the one.", Iris said wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"You shut up! That's not what I meant. And don't call me Annie.", Annabeth said with gritted teeth and red cheeks.

Iris held her hands up in a sort of surrender gesture though the grin on her face was indicative of more teasing to come.

"What's your problem?", he was getting angry now, "All I know is, I kill some bull guy-"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told him. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

"To get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"

I shook my head. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories ..."

"Yes."

"Then there's only one."

"Yes."

"And he died, like, a gajillion years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth. So ..."

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."

"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them arche types. Eventually, they re-form."

Iris shook her head in exasperation. She could not understand why she chose to use complex words when he had difficulty absorbing simple ones.

"Percy, you know that the Olympus and the Underworld are connected to mainland America, right?", he nodded, "Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld is the place where monsters are formed and return to after their death. They come above the ground after some time. The more powerful the monster, the more time it takes unless it has the backing of a powerful deity."

"You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword—"

"The Fur ... I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."

"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?"

"You talk in your sleep."

"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"

Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her.

"You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."

"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?", Percy whined, "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there."

He pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or ... your parent."

She stared at me, waiting for me to get it.

"My mom is Sally Jackson," I said, "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to."

Iris sighed. She had been doing a lot of that lately. Now she had to choose between doing the duty of a friend by helping her convince him and enjoy the entertainment that came with Annabeth trying to convince Percy on her own. Tough choices.

"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad."

"He's dead. I never knew him."

Annabeth sighed. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids.

"Your father's not dead, Percy."

"How can you say that? You know him?"

"No, of course not."

"Then how can you say—"

"Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."

"You don't know anything about me."

"No?" She raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."

"How—"

"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Iris tried to keep her giggles in but some came out. Annabeth, so focused on her tirade, did not seem to notice that Percy looked ready to cry due to his embarrassment.

"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD-you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battle field reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

"Annabeth, just so you know, I have ADHD but not dyslexia.", Iris said.

"Are you magical?"

"Yes"

"That might be the reason. Hecate's children and children of some minor gods like Iris also don't have dyslexia. You would think Athena being the Goddess of Wisdom would give her children immunity to dyslexia but no, we have to suffer through it."

"You sound like ... you went through the same thing?"

"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar?"

"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead. Face it. You're a half-blood."

A half-blood.

Percy was reeling with so many questions he didn't know where to start.

Then a husky voice yelled, "Well! Two newbies!"

Iris looked over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin was sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets. They slightly reminded her of Dudley's gang but any similarities ended with the size. Dudley's gang consisted of fat lumps, wannabe gangsters and cowards who believed that their numerical advantage and their parents would keep them safe. Their size was more of muscle and less of fat. They were the real deal. They were dangerous. If they end up alone against a group, they would only fight more ferociously and mercilessly, like a cornered animal.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

''Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, which she translated from Greek as 'Go to hell!'

"You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. She turned toward us.

"Who're the little runts?"

"Percy Jackson, Iris Potter", Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

Percy blinked. "Like ... the war god?"

Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," he said, recovering my wits. "It explains the bad smell."

Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

Clarisse gave a hand signal to other two girls which she roughly translated as 'The boy is mine. Take the girl.'

"Clarisse-" Annabeth tried to say.

"Stay out of it, wise girl."

Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it.

Confession time. She ran away. Yes, yes, she knew it was not very heroic of her. But, she knew that in situations where victory was not possible, strategic retreat was the wiser option. As far as she remembered, her last name was not Lee or Chan. Magic was not an option. She had decided on arriving there that she would only use magic only in life and death situations and even then only if there was no other way. While ensuring that no one knew the limit of her magical abilities, it also ensures that she was not dependent on it. For the same reason, using poisoned daggers was overkill. So, she took the only option available. Escape now and strike when she has the advantage. She might have pushed Annabeth on to the two Ares girls and used a subtle Tripping Jinx to ensure that they fall with her on top. Really, the girl wanted to protect them from the bullies, she just needed a push, pun intended of course. What Ares kids had gained in strength, they had lost in speed. By the time they got up, she was far out of their reach. The girls might have returned to deal with Percy who, as far as she knew, had given his Minotaur horn to Annabeth and was readying himself for a heroic fight. She did not why he believed he was the reincarnation of Bruce Lee but, for his sake, she hoped he was right.

X-X-X-X-X

They marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined them from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods-literally straight out of the woods. He saw one girl, about nine or ten years old, melt from the side of a maple tree and come skipping up the hill.

He then saw two nymphs chatting animatedly with each other gesticulating with their hands. One of them turned to look in his direction. She smiled the moment she saw him and gave him a friendly wave shouting his name. He was surprised. He did not know that they knew his name. He awkwardly waved back but for some reason she seemed familiar. It was now that she completely stepped out of the forest that he realized that she was not a nymph at all. She was his friend Iris. He hoped she never learned of it. It would be too embarrassing.

Iris was chatting with her new friend Lizzie when she felt eyes on her. She turned and found Percy looking in their direction. She gave him a friendly wave shouting his name and got an awkward one in return. To her surprise, he did not seem to have recognised her. She wondered whether he became so slow that he forgot her. Considering that it was Percy, it was quite possible. Silly boy.

In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. She saw Percy squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half his butt hanging off and thanked her good luck.

She saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a couple of plump blond boys who looked just like Mr. D and sat next to him. Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur.

Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with her gray eyes and honey-blond hair.

Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, barbecue!

Her glass was empty, but Grover said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want-nonalcoholic, of course."

"Chocolate shake"

The glass was filled with thick brown liquid. She took an experimental sip.

Seeing his raised eyebrow, she said, " I am a growing girl."

"Yes. Lot of growing up to do.", Grover muttered.

"What did you say, goat boy?", she asked.

"Nothing.", he squeaked.

"Here you go, Iris", Grover said, handing me a platter of smoked brisket.

She loaded her plate when she noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion.

She wondered if they were going for dessert or something.

"Come on," Grover told her.

As she got closer, she saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest straw berry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll.

Grover whispered quietly, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell."

Grover approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. "Pan."

She was next.

She did not know whether there was a one god per dinner rule but she decided to risk it.

She scraped the first slice of brisket into the flames.

Apollo

The next...

Artemis

The next...

Whoever my parent is

The next...

Hecate

The next...

Hestia

When she caught a whiff of the smoke, she didn't gag.

It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. She could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke.

When everybody had returned to their seats and finished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for their attention.

Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."

A bunch of ugly cheering rose from the Ares table.

"Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have two new campers today. Peter Johnson-"

Chiron murmured something.

"Er, Percy Jackson and Iris Potter," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

Everybody cheered. They all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a sing-along.

They sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked around, and the funny thing was, she felt that she was home.

Later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were curling into a starry sky, the conch horn blew again, and she went to her assigned space in Big House while they all filed back to their cabins. She didn't realize how exhausted she was until she collapsed on her sleeping bag.

When she closed my eyes, she fell asleep instantly.

That was her first day at Camp Half-Blood.

She wished she'd known how briefly she would get to enjoy her new home.

X-X-X-X-X

As you might have noticed, I have cut off the parts that are exactly canon. No point in wasting your time by making you read what you might have already read many times.

Next chapter will have the official claiming of our favourite demigods. Stay tuned.

It was amusing to see many say Artemis just because Iris has red hair. Don't forget that while the Sun is usually golden yellow in colour, it turns red during sunrise and sunset. It might or might not be a clue to her real parent.

Anyone wants to know what Iris looks like, the photo with the story is hers.


	5. Capture A Flag

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 5 : Capture A Flag

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

X-X-X-X-X

I have received reviews that my last chapter was not satisfactory. I apologise. It was more like a filler before the claiming chapter and I tried to hurry it along. It affected the quality of the work. So, I took my time with this chapter. Hopefully, it is better.

X-X-X-X-X

Iris' Pov

The next few days, I settled into a routine. Even if I slept and ate at a different location, as a newbie, I was considered a part of the Hermes cabin and shared their schedule. I got the chance to meet many interesting people. There was Percy who amazingly did not hold a grudge against me for leaving him to the mercy of Ares kids. What can I say, I am a likeable girl. Then there was Connor and Travis Stoll, demigod versions of Fred and George, boys after my own heart. They were quite skilled in planning and execution but did not have much in terms of creativity. Don't worry Stoll boys, Iris Potter to the rescue. There were the children of Hecate, Lou Ellen, a girl my age and Alabaster, a boy two years younger than me. Then there was our counsellor Luke. He was a cool guy with a scar or perhaps I should say the guy with the cool scar. At first glance, he reminded me of Cedric Diggory; tall, handsome in a boyish way, friendly to everyone and eager to help. Nice but boring and beneath my notice. But, the cursed scar on his face marked him as someone made from stronger material. It showed that he had experienced the cruelties of life and survived. He was amused that I believed it was his scar that made him cool. I wondered what that said about me that I identified myself with a veteran hero rather than someone my age.

Each morning I took Ancient Greek with Percy from Professor Bethy...well...Annabeth, and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense. I discovered Annabeth was right about my dyslexia or the lack of it: Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read. My brain was hardwired for Ancient Greek like all other demigods. Magic merely cured the side effects. After a couple of mornings, I could stumble through a few lines of Homer without too much mispronounciation.

The rest of the day, we'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something we were good at. Our first stop was archery class with the Apollo cabin.

It was there we discovered that with a bow and arrow, Percy was very dangerous...to his allies. Chiron naturally showed the patience of a saint not complaining even when he had to desnag an errant arrow from his tail. It seemed that Apollo had cursed his line to prevent another Orion incident. It had to be. Unlike his half brother Theseus, the poor boy had gotten the short end of the stick in terms of intelligence, a very short end. Surely, Fates would not be cruel enough to leave him with no skills at all.

It was my turn. It took a few tries before I felt comfortable with the bow. After that, everyone of my shots hit dead center. It soon devolved into a competition. The targets kept being placed further away until only I and Apollo cabin counsellor Will Solace was left. It was weird. It seemed I was getting better the further the target went. I was showing skill and speed I never knew I had. It was as if archery had always been a part of me and I just had to realise it. The target soon reached its limit of distance. Will shot next and hit the centre again. It was then I got an idea. I somehow knew it would work. I took three arrows and fired them simultaneously. All of them hit the centre with the succeeding ones splitting the preceding ones.

I gave him a smirk indicating to him to match that. Will was looking between me and the target with a look of shock on his face. It was as if he had never seen anything like that before. Then a smile came on to his face, a smile as bright as the Sun.

"With a skill like that, you can only be a daughter of Apollo.", Will said.

"Have you taken archery classes before? Or practiced on your own?", Chiron asked his millenia year old eyes showing its seriousness.

"No. In fact, it is the first time I am holding a bow.", I replied.

"Oh I see. Well, if you can repeat the performance tomorrow, you will be promoted to the Master's archery class under me.", he said.

"Thanks. Is it possible that my father is Apollo? I don't exactly have the sunny look.", I asked using my free hand to flatten my hair.

"Iris, there is a reason we wait for the godly parent to claim before stating either way. There are many gods major and minor that we can only make guesses. There have been many times I had gotten my guess wrong. We can eliminate many possibilities by checking the skills and thus can help them better. If Apollo claims you, you will be his third red haired child in Greek history. Those children were less skilled in archery. The first one was a boy who had physical strength and combat skills similar to those of Big Three as long as he was under the Sun. The second was a girl who, under the Sun, was fast enough to give the appearance of disappearing and reappearing in another place and could travel through the sunlight similar to the shadow travel of Hades children. For you, magic is involved which makes things more complicated. You do know that Godric Gryffindor was a redhead despite being the son of the King of Gods.", Chiron explained patiently.

"I really hope dad claims you. It will be cool to have another sister.", Will said making me smile.

"It is just your first day and you have already showed proficiency heard of only among the Hunters of Artemis. With enough training, you will easily surpass them. I like to hear them make fun of us campers after that."

I am not going to lie. I felt flattered. It was quite a complement to say that I have the potential to be better than the girls who were blessed and personally trained by the goddess. It was then that I noted something.

"You don't like the Hunters of Artemis?", I asked.

"No one does. They are a menace. They always act all high and mighty, the uppity-"

"Will", Chiron chastisised looking warily up at the sky, "Iris, Percy, let us move on."

I noticed that Chiron chastisised him for being careless enough to risk earning the goddess' wrath rather than his words itself. I wondered what had happened between them to cause such animosity. I didn't feel so good anymore. I had always considered the goddess as a role model. She was the embodiment of everything Dursleys hated. Ever since I learned the truth about my heritage, I have hoped to meet her, hopes which only increased on discovering my amazing archery skills. I now know that it was simply a pipe dream.

The next was foot racing. My assumption that Percy was built for strength rather than speed was right. He was easily beaten by our wood nymph instructors. As for me, I left them in the dust.

"If you don't mind us asking, who is your godly parent?", Maggie asked.

"I am unclaimed. I am good at archery. So, I could be Apollo's child.", I replied.

"Good? You made Apollo's best archer look bad.", Percy said.

"Apollo? No way. Apollo was never fast. It could be Hermes. He is the fastest god being the messenger god and only a few children inherit that.", she said.

"Surely, I could have been fast on my own. After all, I had to run a lot to keep myself safe from my cousin's gang.", I replied.

She spoke with a look of amusement on her face, "We have had centuries of practice running away from lustful gods, little one. Speed has always been an advantage we had over them and was something we could count on. If a god is fast enough that his demigod child can outrun us, it is something we would like to know so that we can be prepared."

I could understand their sentiment but there was nothing she could do for them. She did not even know whether the godly parent was her father or mother. I noticed Percy look glum and defeated and felt bad for him. But I had hope that he would find something he was good at, especially if he was the child of the Big Three.

The next was unfortunately wrestling. I did try to get out of it by pleading with Chiron that I was sure I was not an Ares kid but he did not relent. I even played some of my dirty tricks. My widened doe eyes and cute pout which melted the heart of even the stern and brusque Professor McGonnagal did not seem to have any effect on Chiron. Well, I was beaten up. No need to explain. Atleast I was lucky enough not to get Clarisse. She gave a new meaning to the word 'ripped'. *shudder*

I didn't have Hephaestus's skill with metalwork or Dionysus's way with vine plants though it was interesting to see that Percy was the best at canoeing. The senior campers and counsellors were watching us trying to determine who our parents were but they

weren't having an easy time of it. Percy showed almost no skill in anything other than canoeing but I had the opposite problem of showing the skill set of many different gods. Many satyrs even started claiming that I was the child of their lost god Pan when they saw me scale the climbing wall with ease. I did not have any horns or goat legs and did not remember having any specific goat-like characteristics but seeing their hopeful faces, I did not have the heart to reject the claim outright. My reluctant admission that I have been climbing trees my whole childhood only made them happier. It would be a good thing if I did turn out to be Pan's daughter. After all, a life spent saving the wild is a life spent well. But, sadly, life did not work that way.

Despite all that, I liked camp. I got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon, even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night, well, especially that.

Whenever I could not sleep at night, I would sneak out into the armoury and take a bow and a bunch of arrows and go to the woods to hunt. True, Chiron gave me the permission to hunt the monsters, though I don't think he meant after the curfew. Well, what he doesn't know wouldn't hurt him. Dursleys' habit of locking me in the cupboard under the stairs for days without food or water had forced me to learn to pick locks and steal food without raising any suspicious. I just had to ensure that I was sloppy enough to leave food everywhere and show a trail to Dudley's room. By that point in my life, Dudley feared me too much to squeal on me. I learned something else on my night time endeavours. It seemed that Chiron wasn't exactly joking when he said there would be harpies roaming around after curfew looking for half-bloods to eat. I guess sneaking around is not as much fun if there were no consequences to getting caught.

Ha! As if a few fat overgrown bird women could find me if I didn't want to be found.

X-X-X-X-X

Thursday afternoon, three days after I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be our instructor.

We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do and my reflexes were good. But, none of the swords felt comfortable for me. I felt as if I was being restricted, tied down.

Luke, the cool guy that he was, tried his best to fix me up, but he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me.

We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner, since this was my first time.

"Good luck," one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."

"Maybe he'll go easy on me," I said.

The camper snorted.

Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, I got a little more battered and bruised.

"Keep your guard up, Iris," he'd say, then whap me in the ribs with the flat of his

blade. "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now, back!" Whap!

It wasn't long before I was sitting in a corner sulking while Percy was the one getting beaten up. Maybe, sword and I were meant to be lifelong enemies.

By the time Luke called a break, they were soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head and Percy followed his lead.

It was then that I knew the next match would be different. I don't think anyone else noticed but the bruises on his visible parts seemed to have disappeared as if they were never there in the first place. He stood up straighter, more confident, more powerful.

I poured some water on my head myself but all I achieved was turning my hair into a bigger mess. It was simple ice water with no magic involved.

"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo."

The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles. I figured they'd been in our shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used him for a punching bag. He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon.

"This is difficult", he stressed, "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique."

Luke then demonstrated the move on Percy in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of my hand.

"Now in real time," he said, after he'd retrieved his weapon. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off.

Ready, Percy?"

He nodded, and Luke went after him. Percy kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of his sword. His attacks were more fluid and precise than before and his counters had no flaw that Luke could take advantage of. Percy stepped forward and tried a thrust of his own.

Luke deflected it easily, but I saw a change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press him with more force. It was then that I came to a bitter realization. Luke was actually taking it easy on me. Now that he was serious, I could see why Luke was called the best swordsman in 300 years. He used his sword as if it had always been a part of him since his birth. The more interesting thing was that I could feel that Percy had the potential to be greater.

I could see that whatever superpower he got from the water was temporary. He was slowing going back to his previous awkward state. Any time now, Luke would defeat him. Percy suddenly thrust his sword at Luke. His blade hit the base of Luke's and he twisted, putting his whole weight into a downward thrust.

Clang.

Luke's sword rattled against the stones .

"How did he do that?"

The tip of his blade was an inch from his undefended chest.

We were silent in shock.

Percy lowered his sword. "Um, sorry."

Everyone stared strangely at Percy for this.

For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak.

"Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"

He didn't want to. The short burst of manic energy had completely abandoned him. But Luke insisted.

This time, there was no contest. The moment their swords connected, Luke hit his hilt and sent his weapon skidding across the floor.

After a long pause, somebody in the audience said, "Beginner's luck?"

Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised at him with an entirely new interest and I knew that Percy would soon get an apprenticeship offer.

"Maybe," he said.

"But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword..."

X-X-X-X-X

Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Percy and Grover at the lake, resting from an exciting hike on the climbing wall.

We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving, until Percy asked Grover how his conversation had gone with Mr. D, something I had wanted to know myself.

His face turned a sickly shade of yellow.

"Fine," he said. "Just great."

"So your career's still on track?", Percy asked.

He glanced at us nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"

"Well... no."

"He just said you had big plans, you know ... and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"

Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you both yet, so our fates were still tied together. If either of you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."

What Grover did not tell them was that the real decision would only be made after Iris was claimed. If the rumours among satyrs of her ancestry turned out to be true, then his second assignment would be marked as success and he would get the license immediately. Considering his luck, she might turn out to be a child of Hermes or Apollo. There is no point in hoping only to be disappointed later.

"Well, that's not so bad, right?", Percy, the ever optimist, asked.

"Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of either of you getting a quest... and even if you did, why would you want me along?"

"Of course I'd want you along!"

"Same here. It is never a proper quest without you in it, Grover.", I spoke.

Grover stared glumly into the water.

"Basket-weaving ... Must be nice to have a useful skill."

Percy tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look more miserable. I decided that enough was enough.

I placed a hand around his shoulder and said, "Grover, I might not have known you for as long as Percy did but both of us are your friends. You should trust us. Have some faith in our abilities and our friendship. More importantly, have some faith in yourself. How many satyrs can claim to have taken down the mighty Python?"

I noticed that my speech had made him feel better. I wondered what made him have such a low opinion about himself that even surviving the legendary monster didn't cure it. Perhaps, the satyr society also had bullies who picked on its smaller and weaker members. I mused that Grover had a quiet courage in him which made him work harder to prove his critics wrong rather than crumble under pressure. Though if she happened to be Pan's daughter and inherited some influence in the council, they would be very sorry.

We then talked about our different skills for a while, then debated the pros and cons of the different gods.

Percy then asked him about the four empty cabins.

"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad."

"You should see it at night. It glows like a full moon in the darkness of the night. It is one of the most beautiful sights you will ever see in your life. You know what they say. If you haven't seen it, you haven't lived it.", I spoke.

The boys looked weirdly at her causing her to raise an eyebrow mockingly.

"You don't believe me. If you can manage to sneak out at night without getting caught, I will show you."

They shook their head in unison and continued their talk.

"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?"

Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject.

"No. One of them, number two, is Hera's," he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job. When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos."

"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades."

"Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what."

"Zeus got the sky," Percy replied. "Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld."

"Uh-huh."

"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here."

"No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here ..." Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that."

I frowned. If Hades had simply decided not to get involved here, he would have had an honorary cabin just to show that he was respected. No, inspite of whatever Grover might imply, Hades 'doing his own thing' was choice forced upon him by his family. While he was not innocent, he didn't do anything to deserve the outright insult. I decided not to mention my thoughts at the time. I felt it was not my place.

" But Zeus and Poseidon-they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?", Percy asked.

Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably .

"About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War II, you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx."

Thunder boomed.

Percy said, "That's the most serious oath you can make."

Grover nodded.

"And the brothers kept their word-no kids?"

Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon. There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo-he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia .. . well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter."

"But that isn't fair. It wasn't the little girl's fault.", Percy replied.

"You do know that the 'little girl' was your age when it happened, right?", I asked.

"Oh"

Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia. A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill."

He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree where Percy'd fought the minotaur. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill."

I wondered why Grover did not tell Percy that he was the satyr. It was a bit too obvious anyway. Even if I could not see the guilt, shame and self loathing on his face, the fact that he knew the kind of details only the assigned satyr was supposed to know was a big clue.

Percy stared at the pine in the distance. I could guess what he was thinking by the guilty expression on his face.

To distract Grover from his depression, I asked a question I have been wanting to for some time.

"Grover, can satyrs turn into goats, full goats that is?", I asked.

"No. Its a lost art. I have heard tales of satyrs of old having a goat form. In those days, when roaming cattle was a common sight, it was a good cover, much better than a crippled child at least. As long as we are discrete, no one will suspect anything and we could even attack the monsters head on. When humans started 'modernising' their cities, it was not that useful anymore and no one bothered to learn.", Grover replied.

"Grover," Percy asked, "Have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?"

"Sometimes," he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini."

"And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?"

"No. Never. Orpheus came close... . Percy, you're not seriously thinking—"

"No," Percy lied.

Poor Percy. It seemed that Grover had not told him about the empathy link between them. After all, there was no point in lying to someone who could feel your emotions change, especially if you were a poor liar.

"I was just wondering. So ... a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?"

Grover studied him warily. It seemed that I was right.

"Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems."

"And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special."

Grover looked as if Percy'd just led him into a trap. "I didn't... Oh, listen, don't think like that. If you were-you know-you'd never ever be allowed a quest, and I'd never get my license. You're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge. Don't worry, okay?"

I got the idea he was reassuring himself more than us. I then held my arm out instinctively for Hedwig to alight on it. She was as much an enigma for the campers as I was. Despite being an owl, Athena children could not form any rapport with her let alone communicate with her. It was commonly believed that her bonding to me had made her answerable only to me. From what I could understand, Hedwig felt insulted that, despite their so called intelligence and wisdom, Athena children could not understand that she was superior to any owls they might have been familiar with and deserved appropriate respect. I could understand that. Hedwig had always been frighteningly intelligent for an owl.

As I was stroking her, Percy asked, "So, how does your magic fit into all this?"

"No one knows much about the true origins of magic. The oldest known magical settlement was Atlantis. They were revered as they were believed to have technology and magic that made today's obsolete. Many tried to find it but lets say that Lord Poseidon is very protective of the secrets of his Kingdom. As for our society itself...think of every clichéd thing you have heard of us, wearing robes and pointed hats, using owls to sent letters, using wooden sticks called wands to channel magic, travelling by fire. Most of them are true."

"You don't have green skin or warts."

I shook my head and said, " You are talking about hags:ugly green skin, warts, eating children. We are just mortals with magical abilities, mostly. We are the responsibility of Hecate. So, she has many of her children in the society who takes up prominent roles and ensure that the society moves in the direction she wants it to. Your Minister for Special Affairs has always been a magical demigod atleast.", I continued on seeing his shocked face, "Yes, according to Chiron, our existence and that of the magical society are known to the upper echelon of US government and is classified under the US Special Secrets Act. Then there are those like my Headmaster and Nicholas Flamel whose one of the many contributions is the improved nectar that we enjoyed at our arrival. Hecate also blesses a few mortal children to introduce new blood into the society."

Chiron did tell me more than that. He told me about various pantheons and their strongholds, various places Gods avoid and their reasoning. In the end, I had to take an oath to not speak of it to those not in the know without a God's permission, the same oath every Hecate child and the immortals had to take.

"So, how many are here from your magical society?", Percy asked.

"I am the only one as far as I know. When the centre of West moved to US along with the gods, the magical centre remained in England. So, Hecate still considers London as her home and stays in Underworld as Hades' guest when she has a business here. The major gods has never left US much after that as they lose their connection to Olympus and consequently a good amount of their power. So, any magical demigods are usually children of Hecate or minor gods most of whom could get lost into the magical society. There are exceptions of course. Apollo sometimes vacations in Japan as its the Land of Rising Sun. Aphrodite has her second capital at Paris, City of Love, and would have had it as her home if she was not an Olympian goddess. There is also a possibility that Poseidon has some control over the western coastal line of England."

X-X-X-X-X

Luke's Pov

That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual.

At last, it was time for capture the flag.

When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables.

Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree.

From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.

Percy turned to me and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?"

"Yeah."

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"

"Not always," I said, "But often."

" So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do- repaint the flag?"

I grinned seeing Iris roll her eyes, "You'll see. First we have to get one."

I still remember asking Alex, then Athena cabin counsellor and my team leader, the same question on my first game. He gave me the same answer that I gave Percy. He was right. Hearing about it was not as exciting as seeing the magic do its work. I guess Iris would not be as excited being a magical herself.

"Whose side are we on?", Iris asked.

I wondered whether they would be as excited if they knew what Annabeth had planned for them.

"We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you both are going to help."

While I gave them a brief overview of the team composition, I considered the situation myself.

Privileges had been traded of course-shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities-in order to win support.

Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite and Hephaestus. Yes, there were that many Hermes campers. Three guesses on who were responsible for it.

Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them.

Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive.

Aphrodite's sons and daughters I wasn't too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped.

Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They could built a horde of automatons in moments to swarm us and could built undetectable traps that even I had trouble with despite my inherited thievery skills. They were the reason we lost the last four games after Alex left.

That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet.

I hoped Annie's new plan would give us the edge we need to win the game. I was not joking when I told them that they had an important role in helping us win the game.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.

"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.

"Whoa," Percy said. "We're really supposed to use these?"

I looked at him in shock wondering whether he hit his head somewhere on the way.

"Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here-Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol."

Trust me, Percy. You will need it.

I gave him shield that was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. His helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top.

Ares and their allies had red plumes.

It was then that Iris who had been silent until now approached me having picked a set of daggers.

"Can I come with you? Border patrol seems so boring.", she asked with a cute pout.

I gave her an amused smile. She is good but she still had a lot to learn about manipulating people. I understood where she was coming from. It was crime for someone as fast as her to be told to stand still in a corner. But, Annie wanted the new kids as border patrol or to be more specific bait for Ares campers. The strategies were more her area of expertise and I preferred to trust her with it.

"It is OK. I know that, for some reason, boys don't like to be seen as being defeated by girls even when they know that it is the natural order of things. I understand.", Iris spoke.

I looked at her in shock. She did not just say that.

"Excuse me."

"You heard me."

No male who has pride in his gender could refuse a challenge like that. If I did, it would seem like I was admitting that she was right, something I am sure she would hold over me for the rest of my life. She knew it too judging by the sly grin on her face. It was the grin of someone who had smelled victory. It seemed she was much more craftier than she had let on. I knew I should reject but I was feeling excited, similar to what I felt when Percy managed to beat me. It had been some time since I had been truly challenged, since I had to work to win.

"You are coming with me. I want to see the look on your face when I defeat you.", I replied.

She smirked and said, "You are on."

"Aren't you taking anything else? There are shields and even bows and arrows."

She shook her head with a smile and said, "They are too bulky. They will only slow me down."

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"

We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north.

X-X-X-X-X

We did not win. We demolished the opposition or perhaps I should say that Hurricane Iris demolished the opposition. It seemed that she was not joking when she challenged me. Any hint of the sweet, friendly girl vanished the moment the game began. She was very competitive and ruthless. I thought being at the camp, I would have had the advantage of knowing the territory but she was the one with the advantage. I suddenly found himself in the unfamiliar territory of being the slow one of the duo. She ran as quiet as she was fast. Despite the efforts of Hephaestus kids to conceal their traps, she always seemed to know about them, many traps he himself had not noticed. Any attempts by Demeter kids to bind her using plant growth failed as they always veered off when they came near her. It was as if they were refusing to attack her. Demeter kids surrendered knowing there was no way they could win.

Soon, we reached the flag. I was holding my sides panting while she did not seem the least bit winded.

"Let's rest here for a moment, okay?", I stated knowing that I was basically admitting my defeat.

She nodded with a victorious smirk on her face. After giving me a few moments to rest, she plucked the flag from its resting place. I heard a snap of wire and knew that we had just activated a trap.

"That was a good idea. Boobytrapping the flag. We would have no choice but to activate it.", she said.

She tilted her head waiting for it. Soon enough, mechanical spiders started popping up and began spinning webs that would trap us.

"It seems that the trap was not for us after all. I now know why Annabeth was so keen on staying behind."

At that time, something changed. Suddenly, the spiders started shortcircuiting. It was as if the very atmosphere turned poisonous to them. She gave me a look waving the flag and I understood. We quickly ran towards the border passing the flag back and forth to confuse the opponents. She passed the flag for the last time and jumped on to the friendly territory. I came up to the border to find the Ares kids lying on the ground beaten up.

The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse.

"A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick."

They staggered after me, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as I ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked us up and started carrying us around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn.

The game was over. We'd won.

I then heard a canine growl and then a howl ripped through the forest. The campers' cheering died instantly. I slowly moved closer wanting to see how well my plan would work.

Chiron shouted, "Stand ready! My bow!"

Annabeth drew her sword.

There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers. It was looking straight at Percy.

Everyone was too shocked to move except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, run!"

She tried to step in front of him, but the hound was too fast. It leapt over her and slammed into Percy making him fall backwards on to the ground. The next moment, every camper with a bow and arrow shot the beast killing it. I could see many cuts on his chest snd knew that they were almost too late.

Chiron trotted up next to them, a bow in his hand, his face grim.

"Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... they're not supposed to ..."

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

I went over there wanting to be close enough to witness the next part of the plan.

Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her.

We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared.

"Silly boy! One moment I lose sight of you and you are already in danger.", someone muttered.

I looked over to the side to see Iris looking at Percy in worry. That's interesting.

"You're wounded," Annabeth told him. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."

"I'm okay."

"No, you're not," she said. "Chiron, watch this."

Percy stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around him.

Instantly, he looked better. I could see the cuts on my chest closing up. Some of the campers gasped.

"Look, I-I don't know why," Percy said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry..."

We didn't notice his apology as we were staring at the above his head : the green trident.

"Percy," Annabeth said, pointing. "Um ..."

By the time he looked up, the sign was already fading, but I knew he could still make out something. I tried my best to keep my smile in. The plan was success even if it was not in the way I intended. Thank you, Annabeth.

"Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good."

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

We all started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it.

"My father?" Percy asked, completely bewildered.

"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God"

It was when we got back up that something stranger occured. Iris suddenly started glowing silver. I looked up at the symbol above her head and stared in shock. Suddenly, all the anomalies and weirdness I had associated with Iris started making a horrifying sense. Because the symbol was a crescent moon shaped bow with an arrow in a ready to shoot position in the hands of a girl. The huntress. I could not believe it. I turned to look at Chiron for reassurance and his pale face was enough proof that my deduction was correct.

I then saw her owl flying towards her in breathtaking speed. She soon changed shape into a ball of silver light and collided with Iris. It made her glow brighter until we had to close their eyes due to the intensity of the light. For a few moments, the night seemed like the day. For a few moments, it seemed like the moon itself was right infront of them, it seemed like Iris was the moon. The glow soon faded away and we saw a faded rainbow above her head.

We all knelt before her.

"Hail Iris Potter, the daughter of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, Forests and Hills, the Moon, Archery", Chiron spoke as if he could not believe he was saying those words.

"Hail Iris Potter, the Heiress of the Moon and the Legacy of Iris, the Rainbow goddess."

I didn't exactly understand everything that had happened but I knew one thing. Things had just gotten a lot more complicated.

X-X-X-X-X

I did briefly consider making her a special child of Apollo but the story was made with a daughter of Artemis in mind and it will remain that way. I also considered the suggestion of daughter of Leto but the story required the herione to have some powers. Leto, despite being Titaness, had no official domains, I have searched. Titaness of Family is a fan fiction thing I might adopt.

It was suggested that I make Iris Potter legacy of Hecate. I accepted the legacy part but felt Hecate was too common and ends up as a justification for overpowering her. I chose Iris. While she doesn't get any super powers from that side, it turns out to be an important part of the story.


	6. We Receive A Quest

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 6 : We receive a Quest

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

This chapter will be in Iris' Pov unless stated otherwise.

X-X-X-X-X

VoldemortThe Musical has pointed out that Will Solace was not and will never be the Apollo cabin counsellor in canon. It was a mistake on my part. I should have researched more thoroughly. In this story, Will Solace will be best archer but Lee Fletcher will be the counsellor. I apologise for the inconvenience to the readers and thank you for pointing out the flow.

As for the archery, I don't know whether it is canon or fanon, Artemis was always the one with more skill. It was naturally passed on to her daughter. As a goddess of archery, she had to have more skills than just shooting straight. Apollo was the one with special arrows like Greek fire arrows.

Comparing most of the campers to Iris is like comparing a software engineer who keeps fit to a military guy. The military guy will always come on top. The campers, while skilled, are complacent being used to safe and relaxed camp life while Iris' life was a long survival training.

Don't worry about the story turning out to be like third rate Tamil movies. Iris might be skilled and powerful but her enemies are more powerful and numerous. I can't say anymore without ruining the mystery.

As you might have noticed, I am not strictly following canon. There will be many changes.

Just so you know reviewers like you are blessings to writers like us.

Meh : Lets say I was in the mood for old wine in a new bottle or was it the other way around.

X-X-X-X-X

I moved out of the Big House that night feeling tired and miserable. My claiming had shocked everyone into silence but I had the feeling that my list of allies had just dried up. It was the Chamber of Secrets fiasco all over again. I stood in front of the cabin eight for a moment admiring its beauty and wondered why I never suspected Artemis to be my mother. After all, whenever I passed nearby, I was drawn to it like a moth to flame.

I opened the cabin and stared in amazement at the sight in front of me forgetting my previous misery temporarily. It was not a cabin at all. The moment I closed the door, I felt as if I was in the middle of a forest. The woods seemed to stretch for miles in all directions. I suddenly had trouble believing that I had just come through a door somewhere behind me.

The space above me was empty and seemed to extend into the sky though I knew that it was the same enchantment that was on the ceiling of the Great Hall at Hogwarts. It seemed that my mother was more claustrophobic than me.

I went around smelling, touching and sometimes licking the trees to check for illusions. An illusion became more difficult to construct and maintain the more senses it had to fool. As far I could see, the trees around me, grass under my feet, all of them were real. Either, the door was a portal to the middle of a forest, a stable one or my mother created a forest in a magically expanded cabin. I didn't know which one would be more impressive.

I took a deep breath filling myself with the sweet scent of the woods letting it calm me. It was official. My mom was the coolest god ever. After all, a goddess who has such a cool cabin had to be cool herself.

I could see a silver coloured tent with my name on it set up in a meadow near a steadily flowing stream. I opened the tent to see a sleeping bag and a few spare items.

"Thank you mom"

I looked up to the sky and saw the moon shine more brightly. I now knew why I performed so well. Full moon night and forest are my mother's domains. I must have looked like a force of nature, unstoppable, unbeatable. Atleast, I didn't have to be worried about being bullied, hopefully.

I settled into the sleeping bag and calmly assessed the situation. Being the child of Artemis had many advantages. It was a well known fact that the first child of a god was always the most powerful one of their kind. There was also the fact that as the only child and magical at that, no one would know the limitations or varieties of my abilities. I could even pass of some abilities like Parseltongue as demigod powers and vice versa.

I didn't have to share anything with anybody. I had plenty of room for all my stuff. I got to sit at my own dinner table, pick all my own activities, call "lights out" whenever I felt like it, and not listen to anybody else.

The disadvantage was that I might need every advantage I had to survive. There was no doubt that I was now on the top of demigod kill list for every monster that ever existed. After all, my mother and her Hunters had killed them all at least once. Add to that, hunters' unpopularity here ensured that I would have almost no allies to back me up in a tough situation even if I was lucky enough not to have already made any outright enemies, something I doubted.

I then remembered reading that Artemis and Hecate were some kind of friends though the extent of friendship was not known. After seeing the kind of magic done here, I had no doubt that they were quite close. It was a surprise for me to learn that Hecate was actually seen as stern, strict and demanding figure even by her children. I did not believe that she was affectionate to me just as a favour to her son or because I was famous among the subjects of her domain. Hopefully, that friendship would extend to her children. The stress of the day soon caught up with me and my eyes slowly closed down.

_I was standing in a huge hall with a ceiling that seemed to reach up to the sky. There were 12 thrones arranged in a U-pattern similar to the cabins of the camp. They were all different in their own way but there was one thing common to all of them. They seemed to have been designed for 12 feet tall beings to sit on. The two thrones at the end were occupied by a tall black haired man with stormy grey eyes and a stately woman with brown hair and brown eyes. I instinctively recognised them as Zeus and Hera. Some thrones were occupied while others were not. _

_They were interrupted by the arrival of a guy who looked like a professional wrestler. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, most brutal face I'd ever seen, handsome, I guess, but wicked with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights._

_It was then she noticed that he was not alone. He had a woman with him whom he was dragging with him by a chain linked to the handcuffs binding her hands together. The woman had a proud and defiant look on her face even in the midst of the humiliation, something I could not help admire. It was then that I got a look at her. _

_She was not tall which was weird for a goddess but she was not short either. She was average, perhaps, 5-5 or 5-6 by her estimates. The averageness did not extend to her beauty however. She had long reddish brown hair framing her heart shaped face and flowing slightly past her shoulders, a cute button nose, pouty lips and eyes as green as leaf. I knew exactly who that was. Artemis, my mother. I suddenly had a bad feeling about it. _

_"You are right on time, Ares.", Zeus' voice boomed all over the throne room._

_Ares bowed to his father in response. _

_"Father, may I ask what is the meaning of this?", Artemis asked in a calm and cool tone that contrasted the tense atmosphere. _

_"Where is it, my daughter? Hand it over to me.", he shouted. _

_"Father, I don't have it. We have searched everywhere but we could not find it.", she paused for a moment, "Surely you are not accusing me of the theft, are you?"_

_"It would have been believable if we hadn't known how good you are at hiding things from us, Artemis. When were you planning to tell us about your broken oath?"_

_"I had taken an oath and I had not broken it.", she replied furious at her integrity being questioned._

_'unlike some others' was not said but understood by all._

_"Do not lie to me, Artemis.", Zeus shouted his anger causing his aura to flare enough that even I could feel his power from where I was,"It is a common knowledge that your daughter and Poseidon's son arrived at the camp together and I know that they were already quite familiar then."_

_A blonde haired guy with blue eyes got up from his throne and said,"Father, wouldn't it be better if we investigate it in depth and find the whole truth before making any decisions?"_

_"I did not ask your opinion, Apollo. Don't interfere in this matter.", Zeus replied harshly. _

_Any bravery Apollo might have had fled the moment he had to face the brunt of his father's anger. He sat back in his throne with a bowed head._

_"I will not speak anymore on the matter as I can see that it will only on deaf ears. Someone has already ensured that.", my mother replied sending a dirty look at her stepmother who returned a smug one. _

_"In that case, I will summon your daughter here. Let us see if she will be more cooperative."_

_The defiant look on Artemis' face soon changed into panic._

_"No. Not my daughter. She did not do anything wrong.", she paused as if she was gathering courage, "I will accept any punishment you deem fit but please leave my daughter alone."_

_"In that case, your punishment has been decided. You will be restricted to your abode in Olympus and relieved of all your godly duties. You will be allowed no visitors and no communication with anyone else. I will permit you to contact your Lieutenant now to inform her of the situation. Is there anything else anyone would like to say?"_

_"Zeus, our son Ares had not found an appropriate bride in the many millenia of our existence. Now that the oath is no longer an issue, we can consider Artemis for him. I believe their union would be good for Olympus."_

_Artemis' already pale face got a horrified expression while Ares had a lecherous grin on his face and was eying up my mother up and down. I wanted to carve his eyes out but I could not feel my daggers in my hand. It was possible that whatever I was here I was not tangible. I knew I was not the only one considering that option as I saw Apollo's hand was gripping the arms of his throne. _

_My mother looked at her father hopefully but there was no sympathy on his face._

_"The matter will be discussed at the Winter Solistice meeting.", Zeus replied curtly as if he was talking about a business deal rather than something that involved the welfare and happiness of his daughter. _

_The lack of outright rejection from her father caused her to slump her shoulders in defeat. I sighed feeling powerless myself. Already, one of my mothers had sacrificed her life for my continued existence. Now another had made a bigger sacrifice. When will I be powerful enough to stand on my own feet, to not need people sacrificing for me? _

_"Now if there is nothing more anyone has to say-"_

_Apollo then suddenly got up from his throne and walked towards his father. He looked like he was going to deck his father and leave Olympus but his eyes met my mother's and something passed between them. _

_"Father, as my sister is unable to perform her duties, I ask your permission to do them in her stead.", Apollo spoke._

_Zeus initially looked at him in suspicion and then nodded and said, "Permission granted"_

_"Now, if there is nothing else", he looked around waiting for someone to interrupt him and continued when he saw that everyone was in agreement, "Ares, escort the prisoner to her new prison. Council dismissed."_

_A lightning bolt struck Zeus and the next moment he was gone. Others disappeared in their own style. Ares dragged my mother to where I assumed was her abode with Apollo following them perhaps to threaten the War God, hopefully. The room and the people in it slowly started to fade into darkness._

The next thing I knew I was in a giant forest. Everything had a greenish hue to it but I knew that it was morning. I darted my tongue out to assess my surroundings. Wait, what? It felt weird to me but I also felt that it was the right way to do things. The sensations that engulfed me told me that I was in no danger.

I saw a weird structure which I had difficulty identifying as my tent as it was so big compared to what I remembered. In fact, everything seemed bigger than what I remembered. I then crawled towards it, yes crawled. It seemed that I had no arms in the present form. A part of me even felt that having appendages protuding out of your body was weird.

I turned my head and my suspicions were confirmed. I couldn't understand what was happening. First, I was some intangible ghost spying on a meeting that might or might not have happened and now I was a non-venomous green snake. How do I turn back to myself now? The moment I thought about it, I felt a tingle and I was back to my awesome self. I somehow knew that I could change back and forth as easily as combing my hair from one side to other. After all, both were me only with different appearances. It seemed that I just got a skill that could make infiltration easy in the right kind of environment.

X-X-X-X-X

Things were not as bad as I had expected. A lot of people who I was in good terms with started avoiding me like plague but those who stuck around became closer friends. The Hecate kids were more friendly with me after my claiming and started teaching me many tricks and nuances of magic. The Stoll twins showed their similarity to Weasley twins by claiming that my unique claiming and the chaos that was caused due to it was further proof that I was a natural prankster.

The biggest surprise was Annabeth. While the other Athena kids followed the trend, Annabeth made it a point to accompany me everywhere and help me whenever she could. It seemed that she found the possibility of a daughter of a virgin goddess who was not her sibling fascinating. She was much more like Hermione than I had initially thought. It was quite a blessing as she was the best knife figher in the camp. While twin daggers were technically not her preferred style, as the daughter of the Goddess of War strategies, she knew quite a lot about it. It was an interesting learning experience as Annabeth was as hard a teacher as Percy mentioned Luke being.

While Annabeth's relationship with me improved, her relationship with Percy, and I use the term relationship in the loosest meaning possible, deteriorated. Annabeth still taught us Greek in the mornings, but she was always distracted. Whenever Percy had a doubt, he had me ask her as every time he said something, she scowled at him, as if he'd just poked her between the eyes.

After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest ... Poseidon? ... Dirty rotten ... Got to make a plan …".

It seemed that any hope Percy might have had of scoring with the well developed blonde had already drained into the sea, pun intended of course.

X-X-X-X-X

I heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold. I opened the door to see Percy and Grover standing outside nervously. It was amusing to see them look at the door as if it could identify them as males, would grow teeth and bite off their manhoods. The first part was true of course but they were in no danger until they cross the doorway into the cabin. If they do, well, a certain important part would not accompany them inside. Lou Ellen told me that it was applicable to all males possessing the organ whether it was god, demigod, satyr or even a river spirit. If any idiot god tried to get in by masquerading as a female, their punishment made the previous one seem mild in comparison. It was harsh enough to make Prometheus and Atlas think Lucky Me. It was a testament to how pissed off Artemis was with her father's little stunt.

I cleared my throat to get their attention.

"Mr. D wants to see us.", Percy said.

"Why?"

"He wants to kill... I mean, I'd better let him tell you.", Grover said.

I rolled my eyes at Grover's tactlessness and closed the door to get changed. I then nervously followed them to the Big House.

For days, I'd been expecting a summons for us to the Big House. After all, both of us were children that were not supposed to exist. Just because I had a personal heaven to retreat to did not mean that I was ignorant of the tense atmosphere prevelant in the camp. It was like a calm before the storm. Noticing Percy's nervous state, I wondered whether it was better to be ignorant of our fate or not.

Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction. Percy asked Grover if we needed an umbrella.

"No", he said, "It never rains here unless we want it to."

Percy pointed at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?"

Grover glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."

Grover was right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley.

But this storm ... this one was huge.

At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.

Grover, Percy and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Mr. D sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheel chair. They were playing against invisible opponents-two sets of cards hovering in the air.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrities."

We waited.

"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to bow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father or my little prude of a sister is your mother. I still can't believe she had it in her."

A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause both of your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats

safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.

"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "They wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you Perry into a dolphin sending you back to your father and you Irene into a wolf to send to your mother's hunters. I am sure you will have a good time there spending your entire life hunting."

I kept silent wondering whether Mr. D would have had the guts to say that if my mother was not under house arrest.

"Mr. D—" Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness."

Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table.

"I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

Mr. D picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass.

He snapped his fingers.

The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiled at us, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, Iris, please. And Grover."

We did. Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.

"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

I winced remembering the injuries Percy had gotten from it. What did Chiron expect him to say anyway? That he eats hellhounds for breakfast?

"Iris made it look easy but it wasn't. It scared me. If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead.", Percy said glumly.

I looked at him in shock. I had never expected a complement from him. I was flattered.

"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done ... with what?"

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

Percy glanced at Grover, who gave him a look as if saying 'It is your decision'

"Sir, Mr. D hadn't exactly mentioned why I was summoned.", I mentioned.

Chiron grimaced as if he was wishing I hadn't just asked that question.

"In your case, Iris, your mother made a deal with her father. She took all the blame herself and accepted the punishment given in exchange for leaving you alone. The first option will see her freed and things will go back to the way it was. If Percy accepts the quest, you can join him. The success of the quest will result in her release. I say 'can' because, unlike Percy, you can choose to spend your life here like an ordinary halfblood without the fear of repercussions."

"Um, sir," Percy said, "you haven't told me what the quest is yet."

Chiron grimaced again, "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable ..something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks while I gaped at him.

Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

Percy's cheeks reddened in embarrassment. It seemed that he was regretting ever speaking out loud. Motor mouth on the roll.

"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And ... I've also been having these dreams."

"I knew it," Grover said.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.

"But it is his quest!", Grover said with resignation, "It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine."

Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughed nervously, "A what?"

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned, perhaps not noticing the nervousness in his laugh, "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped

on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Oh."

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?", Percy asked.

"Stolen," Chiron said.

"By who?"

"By whom ," Chiron corrected.

Once a teacher, always a teacher.

"By you."

Percy's mouth was wide open in shock.

"At least"-Chiron held up a hand-"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' etcetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

I shook my head in amusement. Yes, I knew that the matter being discussed was not something to be amused about but I had to admire Chiron's style. His 'slip up' got Percy's attention and ensured that it would stay on him during the unpleasant discussion. It was the millenia of experience teaching ADHD demigods showing through.

"But I didn't-"

"Patience and listen, child," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. Six months had only elevated the tension between them."

Chiron then looked at me and continued, "Then, a few days ago, a gigantic creature fell from the sky in to the throne room in the middle of a Council meeting. It was obviously dead with its eyes carved out and a hole in the roof of its mouth. No one had any idea what the creature actually was. With a length of 60-70 feet, it looked like a younger Lydian drakon but it was found to be a sea creature. Zeus believed that it was a threat from Poseidon, a message or show of strength, if you would prefer. 'If I can send a carcass of a monster you have never seen before directly into the throne room bypassing all the vaunted defenses of Olympus, I can easily send a few living ones'. It took all of Athena's persuasive capabilities to convince Zeus to wait until the Summer Solistice rather than throwing the old customs to the wind and declaring a war right then and there. The fact that there was a dead body showed that it was killed outside America and Poseidon was known to have some influence in the western coastal cities of UK. So, Zeus believes that Poseidon has also been cross breeding monsters in underwater facilities there to create an army against him. Cross breeding monsters of course requires someone possessing magic with expertise on monsters and the procedure itself and the parts containing genetic material if not the monsters themselves, a hunter and sorcerer."

"So, when Poseidon claimed Percy and Artemis claimed me, a magical child from England, he believed that the culprits were found and the case was closed.", I said.

I bit back my sigh of frustration with some effort. Damn my Potter luck. Who knew that a simple sacrifice of my first kill to my parent would end up framing me?

Chiron nodded at me then turned to Percy and said, "The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief. Then as Iris said, Artemis claiming a magical demigod child as hers brought them into his suspect list. She was in England until her arrival here by plane. You both arrived at the camp together already familiar with each other and continued being friends. You both were also claimed one after another. Zeus believes that there are no things as coincidences. I know now that the beast was causing problems in Iris' school for the past year and she had merely sacrificed it to her mother but there is no proof strong enough to convince Zeus of this."

"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

Thunder rolled around the palace.

We glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were striding straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid.

"Er, Percy ...?" Grover said. "We don't use the c -word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

I told Percy, "Percy, about the initial part, I would agree with you. It was stupid of him to simply accuse someone without proof when it could easily have been any of his power hungry children. He only succeeded in throwing away a powerful ally for no reason. But about the hybrid creature, he actually thought through everything... or Athena did the thinking for him. In the end, the homework was completed and the answers were found. It was only our bad luck that Zeus ended up with all the wrong answers. In his position, I would have suspected us too."

Percy closed his eyes and sighed.

"It would've been nice to have someone to blame without feeling guilty. Anyway, what kind of school has a creature like that roaming around in it?", Percy asked.

"Apparently a magical school founded a millenia ago by a paranoid son of an even more paranoid father up there who has accused us of conspiring to overthrow him. It was meant to protect us from an invading army but the knowledge of existence of the beast and ways to control it were lost to time."

"Oh"

"Iris is right. Perhaps paranoid is a better description.", Chiron suggested, "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your

final exam..."

"Something about a golden net?" I guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods ... they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"

I was surprised. Percy not only remembered all the questions and answers of an exam but also the exact order, something I could never do. Wasn't he the one who had difficulty grasping the simplest of details? When did he become a genius? The fact that the answer was new knowledge to me was not that much of a surprise. I had only bothered learning what I believed would be useful to me. So, my knowledge was a little limited.

"Correct," Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along-the proverbial last straw."

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon-my dad-he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"

"Bad?" Percy guessed causing me to roll my eyes.

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad", Percy repeated like a broken tape recorder.

"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.

I grimaced.

Zeus had made another power play. The camp had always been a neutral ground till now, well atleast, an effort was made to keep up that charade. Now, Zeus had decided to do away with the facade and officially claim it as his domain. Those he didn't approve of like Percy were not welcome anymore.

I knew that Poseidon would not take the insult lying down and would soon retaliate with his own tsunamis and earthquakes. Then they would both send powerful storms to prove that they were more powerful.

In the end, there would be no part of the camp left standing and no demigod left alive. If the history taught us anything, it was that, Gods have always had more pride than sense.

"So I have to find the stupid bolt", Percy said, "And return it to Zeus."

"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"

"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim, "Part of a prophecy I had years ago ... well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

Percy swallowed.

"Good reason."

"You agree then?"

Percy looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly.

"All right," Percy said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

X-X-X-X-X

"Well?" Chiron asked Percy.

Percy slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."

"What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed, "This is important."

Percy said, "She ... she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would face my demons and come out smelling melons though I don't know whether it was a joke on Oracle's part. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

"No",Percy said, "That's about it."

I instantly knew that he was lying but I let it go. Percy was not obligated to tell Chiron anything. He was not part of the quest after all. We were not in a position to trust anyone. It was good to see him using caution.

Chiron studied his face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

"Okay," Percy said anxious to change topics, "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guessed.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

"Hades."

Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"

"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but-but Hades hates all heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon..."

It was nice to see that Grover wanted us to have an easy quest.

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued, "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."

"Great", Percy muttered, "That's two major gods who want to kill me."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron continued, "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

"Look, if we know it's Hades," Percy told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades-and I imagine Poseidon does-they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation.

That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"You're saying I'm being used."

"I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

Percy looked at Chiron and asked, "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said ... I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

It seemed Percy was right in being careful. Chiron was keeping secrets himself. I decided to find out about the prophecy as soon as I could.

"So let me get this straight," Percy said, "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron and I said simultaneously.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."

"Check."

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days."

"That's about right."

Percy looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.

"You don't have to go," Percy told him, "I can't ask that of you."

"Oh..." He shifted his hooves, "No...actually, I am not here to join the quest. Mr. D had told me that if Iris turned out to be a child of the Wild, then he would consider the assignment to be a success and give me my license. I guess he meant a child of Pan but he said a word is a word and so I can go... You both are my friends and you are the reason I was allowed to go... The least I could do was wait a few days to see how things went for you..."

I promptly got up and gave him a tight hug. I knew from his behaviour that he would not be coming on the quest but to hear that he had actually been cleared to follow his lifelong dream a few days ago and he delayed it just to give us some moral support...

"Grover, you really are the best friend a girl could ask for."

It was when she pulled out of the hug that she noticed something.

"Grover, you have some strange colouring on your face.", she noticed the colour deepening when she mentioned it, "Are you ill or something? Do you need to see a doctor?"

I was worried. Sure, Grover was a little scrawny but I was no Hercules myself. My hug should not have caused him any damage. I then saw that Chiron and Percy seemed to be trying to keep their smiles in, their eyes full of mirth. I had a feeling that I just became the butt of a joke I could not understand.

"So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west.", Percy asked Chiron.

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America.", Chiron replied.

"Where?"

Chiron looked surprised.

"I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."

I guess it made sense. From the limited knowledge I had of USA, Los Angeles was diametrically opposite to New York, located on the Western Coast. It was quite famous for its high crime rates, famous enough for a British gal like me to know.

"Oh," Percy said, "Naturally. So we just get on a plane—"

"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

Percy shook his head, his embarrassment showing on his face.

"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed.

"Okay," Percy said, "So, I'll travel overland."

"That's right," Chiron said. "Two companions may accompany you. Iris is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."

"Gee," Percy said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

The air shimmered behind Chiron.

Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, Seaweed Brain", she said, "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."

"If you do say so yourself," Percy said, "I suppose you have a plan, Wise Girl?"

Her cheeks colored.

"Do you want my help or not?"

I rolled my eyes at their posturing and gave Annabeth a hug.

"I knew that we could count on you to back us up, Professor Bethy. Without your expertise, we would have ended up as a monster meal on the first day itself.", I said.

"Don't call me Professor Bethy. My name is Annabeth.", she muttered though it did not have much force to it.

It seemed that she was too pleased with my emphasis on her importance to care about her nickname.

"A trio", Percy said, "That'll work."

"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.

"Iris, I believe this is yours.", Chiron said handing me a book.

Seeing my questioning look, he explained, "Ever since you came to the camp, I thought you resembled someone but I could not remember who it was. Your claiming reminded me. There was a British girl who came here during the Second World War, a daughter of Iris named Jasmine Ether. She returned home after the war but she kept in contact with me for some time. Her last contact with our world was to invite me to her wedding to one Alexander Evans. I could not attend due to my duties here. The album contains the photos of her farewell party here and some of her marriage that she had sent me."

I held the album close to my chest knowing that it was the last link to an ancestor I had never gotten to know. If anyone noticed my eyes misting, they had the decency to act otherwise.

I hugged Chiron and said, "Thank you."

The old horse was initially surprised by the hug but returned it after a moment. I don't usually hug anyone who I was not very close to but Chiron had earned that privilege.

"No time to waste," Chiron said patting my back. "I think you should all get packing."

X-X-X-X-X

Someone wanted me to kick Annabeth off the quest to give time for Percy and Iris to bond. Perhaps, there is a bit of Aphrodite in me. I did the opposite. It seems our heroes on top of dangerous quests will also have love triangles to deal with too.


	7. Bad CopBad Cop

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 7 : Bad Cop...Bad Cop

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

This chapter will be in Iris' Pov unless stated otherwise.

X-X-X-X-X

It didn't take me long to pack. With my shoulder bag having extra space, I could fit all my possessions into it. As I had many other arrangements to get done, I was the one who arrived last.

The camp store had loaned us one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas. Those coins were much bigger than the galleons I was used to and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other.

The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold .

Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions-whatever that meant.

He gave us a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares each, to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom. She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve.

I had brought a few books of magic with me, some my own and others borrowed from Lou Ellen. I had thought of taking a set of bow and arrows with me but all the ones at the camp were too big and cumbersome to carry around on a cross country journey.

We waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that was lovingly called Thalia's Tree.

Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer guy I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. From what I heard, the guy was the camp's head of security. He supposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. I wondered how he managed to not poking himself in the eye accidentally.

Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra eyes on his hands, face and neck.

"This is Argus", Chiron told me, "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

I rolled my eyes at the horrible pun. I then heard footsteps behind us.

Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."

Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around. I hid my smirk and reminded myself to use it as entertainment whenever we feel down.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told me. "And I thought ... um, maybe you could use these."

He handed Percy the sneakers, which looked pretty normal.

Luke said, "Maia !"

White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling Percy so much that he dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

I stared at the shoes fascinated. True, it was not the original Hermes sandals but it was still cool. Luke surely knew his history well. After all, the original Perseus had used the Hermes sandals to get from Medusa's Lair to Aethiopia to slay the sea monster Cetus. It was nice of him to give us something like that. Atleast, I hope it was not a subtle insult as Percy's father was the one who unleashed the monster in the first place.

Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..."

His expression turned sad.

"Hey, man", I said, "Thanks."

"Listen, Percy ...", Luke looked uncomfortable, "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just ... kill some monsters for me, okay?"

"Will do, Luke.", I said, "It is a pity we are not going the same route as you. We would have returned with a Ladon's head gift wrapped for you. Isn't that the saying? Head for a scar."

An amused smile came on his face.

"An eye for an eye actually. But, it works too."

They shook hands. Luke patted my head, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out.

After Luke was gone, Percy told her, "You're hyperventilating."

"Am not."

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"

"Oh... why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"

She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road.

Argus followed, jingling his car keys.

Percy picked up the flying shoes and asked Chiron, "I won't be able to use these, will I?"

He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air ... that would not be wise for you."

"Hey, Iris. You want a magic item?", Percy asked.

"No Percy. I am as much on Zeus' blacklist as you are. If I could have flied, I would have brought my broomstick.", I replied.

Seeing the excitement on his face fade away, I instantly felt bad about it. I decided to give him a lifeline.

"You can give it to Annabeth. A gift from Luke, she will be over the moon."

Percy nodded in agreement with an amused smile on his face.

"She might even put it in a bulletproof glass box and worship it twice a day."

"Come on, it is time to leave.", I told Percy.

Before we could leave, Chiron told Percy, "I should have trained you better, Percy. If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason-they all got more training."

"That's okay. I just wish-"

Percy stopped but I could guess what he was going to say, that his dad had given him a magical item rather than expecting him to go empty handed. I too wished that my mother had given me a compact bow and arrow that I could take with me to the quest. The daggers were cool enough, but they were close range weapons. There were many powerful monsters I would not dare get that close to. Perhaps my mother intended to give me but ended up under house arrest before she could do that. I would just have to take that as a challenge.

"What am I thinking?", Chiron cried, "I can't let you get away without this."

He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to Percy. It seemed to be an ordinary disposable ballpoint pen, black ink, removable cap.

"Gee", Percy said, "Thanks."

"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."

"Yes.", Chiron replied as if he knew what Percy was talking about.

Percy took off the cap, and the pen seemed to grow longer and heavier. In half a second, he was holding a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that Percy seemed comfortable with.

"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into," Chiron told us.

"Its name is Anaklusmos."

"'Riptide,'" I translated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily.

"Use it only for emergencies", Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."

Percy looked at the wickedly sharp blade.

"What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals?"

"The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."

"Good to know."

"What about my daggers?", I asked.

"Spoils of victory. It will hurt both mortals and monsters though I would prefer you reserve it for the latter."

"Cool."

"Now recap the pen."

Percy touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. He tucked it in his pocket, a little nervous, perhaps of losing it.

"You can't," Chiron said as if he read his mind.

"Can't what?"

"Lose the pen", he said, "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."

Percy hesitantly threw the pen as far as he could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass.

"It may take a few moments," Chiron told us. "Now check your pocket."

Sure enough, the pen was there.

"Okay, that's extremely cool", he admitted.

"But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"

Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."

"Mist? Like that magical thing that those with godly blood generate?"

"Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."

Percy put Riptide back in his pocket.

"Chiron ...", Percy asked, "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?"

"Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."

"So what was it like ... before the gods?"

Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species

began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."

"But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So ...even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?", Percy asked hopefully.

Chiron gave us a melancholy smile.

"No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."

"Our destiny ... assuming we know what that is."

"Relax," Chiron told him. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."

I winced. With the millenia of training experience behind him, I thought Chiron would have mastered the art of pep talk. Apparently not.

"Relax", Percy said, "I'm very relaxed."

When we got to the bottom of the hill, we looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.

Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again, Annabeth and Percy sitting next to me as if we were normal carpoolers. Two weeks after my arrival at America, it was the first chance I got to see the sights and admire them. I found myself staring like a kid in a candy store at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall.

"So far so good", Percy told Annabeth, "Ten miles and not a single monster."

I winced. He might as well have sent a signal flare informing every monster in the area of their presence. It seemed Annabeth agreed with me.

"It's bad luck to talk that way, Seaweed Brain."

"Remind me again-why do you hate me so much?", Percy asked her.

"I don't hate you."

"Could've fooled me."

I knew that an argument was coming but I did nothing to stop it. It was better to have a small argument in the beginning and work it out of the system rather than a big fight later on.

She folded her cap of invisibility.

"Look ... we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."

"Why?"

She sighed.

"How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."

"They must really like olives.", Percy gave his typical reply.

"Oh, forget it."

"Now, if she'd invented pizza-that I could understand."

I could understand that too. Pizza was one of the few so called junk food that I could actually stomach.

"Percy, I really hope for your sake that Athena had not heard it. Pizza is of Roman origin and Athena has a personal vendetta against anything even remotely related to Rome.", I told him.

Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain.

Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with Percy's picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?

Percy ripped it down as quickly as he could. Annabeth and I had a silent agreement not to mention it as it was obvious that he did not want us to know.

Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot.

The rain kept coming down.

We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of the apples.

Annabeth was awesome. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, Percy wasn't too bad himself.

I didn't bother trying as I knew that I was hopeless. So, I naturally used their distraction to eat the other apples.

Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board, I started looking around feeling like we were being watched.

"What is it?", Percy asked.

"I don't know", I replied tensely, "Maybe it's nothing."

But I could tell that Percy was beginning to feel it too. He started looking over his shoulder, too.

We were relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. Percy and Annabeth stowed their back packs. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh.

As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto his knee to get his attention.

"Percy."

An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and I knew that she was the monster or one of them watching us.

Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like the first one who I guessed was the leader-same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses.

They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves.

The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long.", Percy said, trying to keep his voice from quivering, "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

"I said if you're lucky," Annabeth said. "You're obviously not."

"I am sure their master was quite generous in helping them out.", I said.

"It's okay.", Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard, "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open", Percy moaned.

"A back exit?", she suggested.

It wasn't opening. While I knew I could have magicked it open, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around.", Percy said, "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes.", Annabeth reminded me, "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"

She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof...?"

We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet without the sound of the rain.

The leader got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room."

"So do I," said the second sister.

"So do I," said the third sister.

They all started coming down the aisle.

"I've got it", Annabeth said, "Percy, take my hat."

"What?"

I took my trusty Invisibility Cloak and told them the plan I had thought out.

The plan was quite simple. Percy and I would turn invisible and leave Annabeth as the bait. We would then move far enough forward and let the Furies pass us by. We would then follow them at a striking distance and on my signal, which I would give the moment the leader arrives within the striking distance of Annabeth's knife, we would kill both the lackeys from the back simultaneously. The leader would naturally turn around on hearing the screams of her sisters and Annabeth would use her distraction to kill her. By the time the bus came out of the tunnel and the mortals could see us properly, we would be back in our seats chatting away as if nothing had happened. The mist would either make them forget the old ladies altogether or make them believe that it was their imagination.

We moved up the aisle ten rows before we had to duck into an empty seat to let the Furies pass. The leader suddenly looked at the seemingly empty seat on my opposite side intently sniffing. I feared for a moment that my plan was undone before it even began but I had nothing to worry about. The monsters moved forward without checking properly. I found it amusing that they didn't even check my direction. It seemed that my little magical Invisibility Cloak was much better than Athena's gift. I didn't know what to think about that.

Perhaps, I was a little overconfident. I missed a glaring flaw in my plan. Neither Percy nor Annabeth had kind of night vision or enhanced senses that I did. Percy, being the natural klutz that he was, bumped into something and fell down. The cap fell off his head revealing him to the Furies. Luckily, I was close enough to stab the one in front of me in the heart killing it. Now, we had to deal with two Furies rather than one as I had planned.

The old ladies took their true form now that they realised that any facade was pointless. Their faces were still the same but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips.

"Perseus Jackson", the leader said, in a weird accent, "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a math teacher", Percy told her.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. I did not know that. I decided now was not the time to ask what kind of school employed a Fury as a maths teacher. I did wonder how she taught the subject.

If we give 20 whippings to the back and 20 to the front, how many whippings did the person get in total?

What Annabeth did next could be termed as either brave or stupid but it gaves us the necessary advantage. She got the head Fury in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while I took the opportunity to quickly rip the whip out of her hands. I nearly dropped it due to its searing heat.

The other one lashed her whip around Percy's sword hand and I could tell that he nearly dropped his sword himself. Luckily, he was already in the middle of his attack and he ended up slashing her to dust.

Annabeth and I tied up the Fury with her own whip making sure to keep her mouth free. We wanted answers.

Annabeth put her cap back in her pocket and I put my Invisibility Cloak back in my shoulder bag. I noticed that the Fury looked at it as if she knew it from somewhere but could not remember where.

"Zeus will destroy you!", she promised, "Hades will have your soul!"

I snorted. I knew her game well. I was reminded of the time I rallied all the kids bullied by Dudley behind me to hunt down Dudley's gang down one by one like they did to us. The look on their faces when they learned that they have suddenly turned from predator to prey was priceless. They threatened to tell their parents about my 'freakishness' but I just laughed in their faces. In the end, it seemed that the infamous torturers were no different than those small minded bullies in Little Whinging. She was trying to fool us into thinking she had some control over the situation but, like all bullies, her instincts were to hide behind a more powerful being when the going got tough.

"Shout their names out all you want, Fury. They won't lift a finger to save you. Perhaps, fresh news is difficult to get in Hotel Tartarus. So, I will tell you. We are on a quest and gods are forbidden from interfering in the mortal quests by the Ancient Laws, the laws that even the Lord of Dead have to comply with. The only thing that you have ensured is that both of them will be able to hear your confession. Now, confess your crimes, monster, and we will provide you a quick and less painful route back home. If you don't, well ...we have all wondered whether the Hades' infamous tortures are as good at taking it as they are at doling it out.", I replied.

I noticed Annabeth looking quite gleeful at the possibility of torturing the Fury. It seemed she had some bad history with them.

The Fury's eyes seemed to burn with hellfire due to her anger and she was furiously trying to shake off her bindings.

"You have your mother's arrogance, Iris Potter, and soon it will be the end of you. I will be waiting for you till then.", she hissed.

"Empty words from a monster who was outsmarted by three inexperienced kids and ended up getting her sisters killed.", came my scathing reply, "Tell us where you have hidden Sally Jackson and Zeus' master bolt."

"Thasedo stin kólasi"

See you in hell. A weird reply. It was then that I noticed that we had gotten out of the Lincoln Tunnel back into the rainstorm. The mortals had seen us and were speaking with each other pointing at us but I could not concentrate on that. I could feel something in the air. I then noticed the windows of the bus shaking slightly and realized the true meaning of the Fury's words.

I willed the back exit open and shouted, "Annabeth, Percy, leave the monster here and jump out of the door."

Thankfully, they did not hesitate. Immediately after we jumped out, I willed the Cushioning spell to form on the road. It was nowhere as good as my wanded spell but it was good enough for the situation. It felt like we had tripped and fell forward on to the road rather than jumped from a bus going at 70+ miles per hour. Atleast we didn't break any bones.

"Our bags!", Percy said, "We left our—"

BOOOOOM!

The windows of the bus exploded due to the sheer power of the lighting bolt that struck the bus. The burning bus continued moving taking with it the screams of pain from the mortals being burned alive but we knew that we would not forget them for a long time. We sat shockstill trying to take in everything that had happened. None of us had much personal experience with death. I was the most experienced having burned a person to death but Quirellmort was not exactly an innocent mortal, nothing like the bus passengers who just wanted a vacation and ended up taking the wrong bus. It was a testament to Zeus' character that he had no qualms about causing their deaths just to have us dead. The shock soon changed to anger, anger at our cruel, hypocritical tyrant of a king.

"Come on, let us leave. It is not safe to sit under the open sky. He will soon learn that we are alive and try again.", I told them.

We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead.

X-X-X-X-X

In a way, it's nice to know there are Greek gods out there, because you have somebody to blame when things go wrong. For instance, when you're walking away from a bus that's just been attacked by monster hags and blown up by lightning, and it's raining on top of everything else, most people might think that's just really bad luck; when you're a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day.

So there we were, Annabeth and Percy and I, walking through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank, the glow of New York City making the night sky yellow behind us, and the smell of the Hudson reeking in our noses.

I lead the group forcing myself to remain calm and serene. I wanted to rant and rave like an ordinary demigod about the things that piss me off: a king cum grandfather arrogant enough to believe that he was above following the Divine Laws, said king trying to kill us, being thwarted when I was very close to success by the said king, selfish mortals polluting the rivers by throwing their waste in it which for once Zeus was not responsible for and the very reason she had to stay calm which the aforementioned king was very much responsible for. Zeus, in his infinite wisdom, decided to cut off her mother's connection to her domains. With no designated heir, as her only child, I ended up as the Mistress of the Wild, atleast that was what I was able to understand. So, the woods were very sensitive to my emotions. That is the reason my companions were quietly following me like lost puppies without their usual Athena-Poseidon argument. They didn't want to risk setting off my temper in what was now my domain and face the hostile nature of the woods again.

Once I was sure, I was reasonably calm, I told them, "Despite our obvious differences and the inherited rivalries, we fought well as a team. Keep it up and we will return to the camp in glory."

On seeing them smile, I wondered what I was doing. I was not the leader of the quest, Percy was. I sighed. I was so used to being the leader that I naturally took over the role. Well, Percy was inexperienced and needed someone to show him what was expected of a leader. Now that he had seen a demo, my continuing to take that role would only adversely affect his self-confidence. I promised myself that I would let him take the lead from then on and learn from his own mistakes.

"We might not have gotten much from the Furies in the way of answers but Percy atleast got a new toy to play with.", I said.

"What?", they spoke simultaneously.

It was then that they noticed the new bracelet on Percy's wrist. The bracelet itself was coal black in colour and had swirls of dark orange on them like fire. I was not surprised that they had not noticed it before. It seemed to have the ability to blend into the darkness of the night so well that not even its owner could detect its presence. I was a little jealous that Percy was the one who got the Fire Whip but I was also happy that he was not completely dependant on, from what Chiron told us, a cursed sword.

I started to see light up ahead: the colors of a neon sign. I could smell food. Fried, greasy food. I suddenly started feeling nauseous and had to cover my mouth to keep from vomiting.

I realized I hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since I'd arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where we lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. Maybe that was the reason I felt much worse than I usually do when faced with the unpleasant smell or American food was just that bad.

We kept walking until I saw a deserted two-lane road through the trees. On the other side was a closed-down gas station, a tattered billboard for a 1990s movie, and one open business, which was the source of the neon light and the bad smell.

It wasn't a fast-food restaurant like I'd thought. It looked like one of those weird roadside curio shops that sell lawn flamingos and wooden Indians and cement grizzly bears and stuff like that. The main building was a long, low warehouse, surrounded by acres of statuary.

"What the heck does that say?" I asked.

"I don't know," Annabeth said.

I translated: "Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium."

Flanking the entrance, as advertised, were two cement garden gnomes, ugly bearded little runts, smiling and waving, as if they were about to get their picture taken.

Percy crossed the street, following the unpleasant smell.

"Hey ...", I warned.

"The lights are on inside", Annabeth said, "Maybe it's open."

"Snack bar", Percy said wistfully.

"Snack bar", she agreed.

"Are you two crazy?"

I couldn't help but ask them that. Surely, atleast one of them had watched horror movies. The place looked like the perfect setting for a ghost town that horror movie producers would sell their souls for. It reminded me of the movie where few friends end up in a ghost town where the only occupant is the screwed up murderer who killed those stopping by, extracting all their organs to put in a showcase, tan their skin to make a hide...you get the idea. The idiots I had for friends were walking straight into the murderer's abode to offer themselves up.

The front lot was a forest of statues: cement animals, cement children, even a cement satyr playing the pipes, who had close enough resemblance to Grover to make me uncomfortable.

But what made me the most uncomfortable was the statue of a girl with a bow and a quiver full of arrows by her side. It looked very life like. Perhaps, it was an advantage of being the daughter of Artemis, I could tell that they were completely mortal with no celestial elements in them. They were useless against monsters. Hopefully, the serial murderer here was mortal.

We stopped at the warehouse door.

"Don't knock. Let's go. We have a quest to complete, remember?", I said.

"We remember but we are hungry. Aren't you hungry?", Annabeth asked.

"No. I am sure we'll find a restaurant with good food along the way.", I replied.

"But we won't get tasty burgers like this place.", Percy said.

Then the door creaked open, and standing in front of us was a tall Middle Eastern woman-at least, I assumed she was Middle Eastern, because she wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, and her head was completely veiled. Her eyes glinted behind a curtain of black gauze, but that was about all I could make out. Her coffee-colored hands looked old, but well-manicured and elegant as if she was a grandmother who had once been a beautiful lady.

Her accent sounded vaguely Middle Eastern, too.

She said, "Children, it is too late to be out all alone. Where are your parents?"

"They're ... um ..." Annabeth started to say.

"We're orphans.", Percy said.

I cringed. It was not that I was insulted or anything. I have used the 'I am a poor orphan' myself to get sympathy. If I was right and the woman was a monster, it was the wrong thing to say. Percy basically told her that if we disappeared no questions would be asked. I wondered for a moment if it was too late to back out from my earlier promise but then I decided to keep my head down and be quiet. Every monster in the country might already have heard of the daughter of Artemis who came from England and would be eagerly waiting to settle some scores. It would be utter stupidity on her part to announce her identity with her British accent.

"Orphans?" the woman said.

The word sounded alien in her mouth.

"But, my dears! Surely not!"

"We got separated from our caravan", Percy said. "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost, but he may have forgotten, or

maybe he meant a different gas station. Anyway, we're lost. Is that food I smell?"

I decided that the first thing I do after we return would be to ask Luke to give Percy lying lessons.

"Oh, my dears", the woman said, "You must come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

We thanked her and went inside.

Annabeth muttered to Percy, "Circus caravan?"

"Always have a strategy, right?"

"Your head is full of kelp."

The warehouse was filled with more statues-people in all different poses, wearing all different outfits and with different expressions on their faces.

I couldn't help but notice that all the statues were life size even if I didn't recognise its importance then or the way the statues' eyes seemed to follow me, or the fact that Aunty Em had locked the door behind us.

We soon found the dining area. It was there at the back of the warehouse, a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser plus a few steel picnic tables out front.

"Please, sit down", Aunty Em said.

"Awesome", Percy said.

"Um", I said quietly playing the part of a shy kid, "we don't have any money, ma'am."

Aunty Em said, "No, no, children. No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said.

Aunty Em stiffened, as if Annabeth had done something wrong, but then the old woman relaxed just as quickly, so I knew for sure that it was a monster.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child."

I stiffened. We had never introduced ourselves. If she already knew Annabeth, that meant she knew me too.

I was shocked to see Annabeth not notice it. Percy, I could understand but Annabeth, while impulse at times, was an observant girl. Something more sinister was afoot.

Our hostess disappeared behind the snack counter and started cooking. Before we knew it, she'd brought us plastic trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, vanilla shakes, and XXL servings of French fries.

Percy was gobbling up burgers like a Neanderthal while Annabeth was slurping her shake in a similar manner and I knew there was no reasoning with them.

I pretended to pick at the fries. The moment Aunty Em turned away, I concentrated on my inner snake. A forked tongue quickly came out of my mouth and as quickly went back in. I nearly choked at the feel of magic in the fries. I now understood why I felt so nauseous. It was my body flushing out the foreign magic and warning me of the danger. The magic in the scent was meant to lure the prey in by inhibiting their mental capabilities and creating an obsession for her food in their mind. The food, or to be more specific, the magic oil used to fry it was meant to inhibit their physical capabilities. It seemed that we were dealing with a powerful and crafty monster who didn't hold back when it came to ensure that the playing field was tilted grossly in her favour.

I learned something else. There were a lot of snakes in the area and the monster was a part snake herself. She must have used the Mist slightly to conceal the sounds they make but now that I knew about them, I could hear them clearly. I tried to remember every monster who was sorceress, part snake and had M in their name. The only one I could remember was Lamia. She was the monster who cast a spell that made it easy for monsters to find demigods to punish Zeus for not protecting her from his wife's wrath. We were young enough to be considered children and potential meal. I sighed. Even unknowingly, Zeus was causing problems for us.

Aunty Em ate nothing. She hadn't taken off her head dress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat. It was a little unsettling, having someone stare at me when I couldn't see her face but I didn't show it. I followed Annabeth's lead and started drinking vanilla shake myself as it was not only healthy but also untainted by Aunty Em's magic. I knew that not eating anything would raise her suspicions

"So, you sell gnomes," Percy said, trying to indulge in some small talk.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"A lot of business on this road?"

"Not so much, no. Since the highway was built... most cars, they do not go this way now. I must cherish every customer I get."

My neck tingled, as if somebody else was looking at me. I turned, but it was just a statue of a young girl

holding an Easter basket.

The detail was incredible, much better than you see in most garden statues. But something was wrong with her face. It looked as if she were startled, or even terrified.

I suddenly realised the identity of the monster. We were going against Medusa. It would be a miracle if we survived.

I did wonder why there was no record of Medusa being a sorceress. Were the gods ignorant of it? Or did they intentionally hide it to make our lives more miserable? I had to wonder how many others were sorceresses and no one bothered to warn us.

"Ah," Aunty Em said sadly. "You notice some of my creations do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

I wonder why, I thought sarcastically.

"You make these statues yourself?", Percy asked.

"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statues. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company."

Annabeth had stopped eating. She sat forward and said, "Two sisters?"

I could see that she was starting to piece things together. The magic inhibiting her mind was weakening. It seemed Medusa's magic had a weakness. You just need a trigger. I didn't know how it would help in Percy's case. The scent magic was much weaker than the one that was consumed and works from within. Percy consumed a lot. He would need a really powerful trigger.

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a... a boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. My sisters stayed by me. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

I saw that Annabeth had completely broken free of the spell. As she, like me, had not eaten anything, I could expect full support from her. Medusa not having her sisters to back her up was another good news. I was finally seeing a tiny ray of hope.

"Percy?", Annabeth was shaking Percy to get his attention, "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting."

"Such beautiful gray eyes", Aunty Em told Annabeth again, "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those."

She reached out as if to stroke Annabeth's cheek, but Annabeth stood up abruptly.

"We really should go."

"Yes! The ringmaster is waiting! Right!", I said even when I knew Percy was already too much under her power to agree with them but hoping otherwise.

"Please, dears", Aunty Em pleaded, "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you go, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?", Annabeth asked warily.

"A photograph. I will use it to model a new statue set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

Annabeth shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy-"

"Sure we can.", Percy said, "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

"Yes, Annabeth. It is just a photo. There is no harm.", I said.

Annabeth turned to look at me in shock and her eyes met mine. She got my message. Play along. We stand a better chance outside.

"Yes, Annabeth," the woman purred. "No harm."

I could tell Annabeth didn't like it, but she allowed Aunty Em to lead us back out the front door, into the garden of statues.

Aunty Em directed us to a park bench next to the stone satyr.

"Now", she said, "I'll just position you correctly. The young gentleman in the middle, I think, and the two young girls on either side."

"Not much light for a photo", Percy remarked.

"Oh, enough", Aunty Em said, "Enough for us to see each other, yes?"

"Where's your camera?", I asked.

Aunty Em stepped back, as if to admire the shot.

"Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me please, everyone? A large smile?"

She still had no camera in her hands.

"Percy-", Annabeth said.

"I will just be a moment," Aunty Em said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil..."

"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, reaching up to undo the wrap around her head. "Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?"

"Look away from her!", Annabeth shouted.

She whipped her Yankees cap onto her head and vanished. I followed her lead with the Invisibility Cloak. We simultaneously pushed Percy off the bench and went separate ways leaving Percy to look at the monster's sandalled feet.

Percy almost looked higher, but Annabeth screamed, "No! Don't!"

Luckily, he obeyed.

"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," she spoke soothingly, "Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up."

"The Gray-Eyed One did this to me, Percy", Medusa said, "Annabeth's mother, the

cursed Athena, turned me from a beautiful woman into this."

"Don't listen to her!", Annabeth's voice shouted, "Run, Percy!"

"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then her voice modulated back to a comforting purr.

"You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer."

"No", Percy muttered in a drowsy voice.

"Do you really want to help the gods?" Medusa asked. "Do you understand what awaits you on this foolish quest, Percy? What will happen if you reach the Underworld? Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain."

I could feel the magic in her voice or what was known here as charm speak. Luckily, she was not that good. Percy was resisting it. But, I knew that with time, she would wittle down his resistance, time we could not afford to give her. I knew that Annabeth would not dare attack her mother's nemesis. So, I decided to play distraction leaving Annabeth to find the trigger.

I took a tree trunk as big and thick as a Beater bat and threw it as hard as I could roughly in the direction of the multiple speaking snakes. I quickly moved away to hide behind another statue some distance away. I smiled when I heard a roar of anger.

The next moment, I realised that my foresight had saved my life. By the sound of a statue being broken into pieces, I knew that she had just charged at my previous location. Had I waited until I heard her reaction to move, I would have been the one torn to pieces. I was fast but not that fast.

"Where are you, you miserable girl? I will tear you to pieces."

I then did a little trick I had learned to do with the wand before I learned official spells, a trick I called Flash Bang. A harmless trick that used sudden intermittent sounds to scare or distract someone. If Medusa was as sensitive to sound as a snake, it would drive her mad.

I worked. She became even more angry than before.

I then heard a sound similar to someone shaking their head, then a slosh-like sound as if something slimy had fallen down and many voices on the ground.

~Cover the whole ground, children. Find the daughter of Artemis and the cursed Athena girl. Don't kill them too quickly. I want to personally crush their statues to dust. Avoid the son of Poseidon. He is mine.~

I grimaced. Medusa was bad enough. Now, we had to deal with her snakes too. The snakes had, along with their sensitivity to vibrations on the ground, heat sensors on their tongue that gave them the natural version of infra red vision. So, Invisibility was not a major detterent to them. I would know. I have been using it judiciously to keep track of Annabeth.

There was a myth in our magical society that basilisks were actually the snakes that fell from Medusa's head. I am now sure that it was just a myth. The snakes were fast and venomous but had no killing stare. But what made them very dangerous was that they were completely mortal since the moment they left Medusa's head. You might laugh thinking that I had just told a joke but remember that almost all of the weapons the demigods carry and use were celestial bronze, something which would pass through mortal beings as if it was an illusion. Chiron, in his own way, had been encouraging that dependency.

I was at a loss as to what to do. I personally had nothing to worry about. I could order them away or use my daggers. But Annabeth, as far as I knew, had only a celestial bronze dagger. She was completely helpless.

It was then that I remembered the statue of the girl. The bow and the arrows were not so useless anymore. I quickly sneaked off to the statue of the girl. I put my Cloak back in my shoulder bag as Invisibility had become pointless. I hung the quiver on my shoulder, took the bow and ran in Annabeth's direction shooting the snakes along the way. I then reached the location to see Annabeth with her back to the statue of a gnome waving her dagger trying to scare a snake into keeping away. By the way she was waving it, I knew she realized the same thing I did, hopefully not the hard way. The snake lunged with its mouth open and fangs bared but its existence came to an end with an arrow through its mouth.

Annabeth turned towards my direction pointing her knife and sighed in relief when she saw it was me.

"I came just in time, huh?"

I then looked around and asked, "Where is Percy?"

She pointed and I knew why Medusa had not yet attacked us. Percy was slowly inching towards her with a glass ball in one hand and his sword in another. She could have easily torn him apart but she seemed content to observe as if she had all the time in the world. Her arrogance would be her doom, hopefully.

"So, you have not found the trigger.", I asked.

"No. Atleast she will allow him to get close enough for a surprise attack. Her death will cause the magic to fail.", she replied.

I knew for a fact that it was not true. There was a reason the potions had such an important role in magical studies. Once it was completed and delivered, the potion had no more connection to its brewer unless they cast an enchantment on it to keep up a connection. The working of a potion entirely depended on the one consuming it. Either he would break down the magic on his own and kill the monster or he would become another statue decorating the garden. I knew that it was not the time to discuss the intricacies of magic. Let her have some hope.

Percy got closer to Medusa-twenty feet, ten feet. The magic seemed to be getting stronger the closer he went causing to struggle more and more to keep his head down. The latter option seemed to get more likely with each step. Luckily, I had a secret ace up my sleeve, my last gamble.

"Die", I shouted.

I took out the bottle and threw it hard in their direction. I intended for it to pass over Percy's head but I wasn't that accurate. If Percy had not pulled his head down at the right time, it would have knocked him down. Medusa caught the bottle displaying the kind of insane reflexes that would have left International Seekers drooling. Nothing happened for a moment and I feared my plan had failed. Then, the bottle splintered under Medusa's monstrous strength and the water inside spilled out... on to Percy.

When I saw, during Luke's sword fighting class, how Percy got enough power boost from a splash of drinking water, I wondered how good he would have been had it been taken straight from the sea. After Percy accepted the quest and we were told to pack up, I immediately went to the coast and filled a bottle with sea water. I knew that the quest would be very grueling and we would need every advantage we could get. I did not intend to use it up so early in the quest but it was better than dying.

"Sea water", Medusa said and by the way she said I knew she understood the implications.

I then heard a sickening shlock sound, then a hiss like wind rushing out of a cavern-the

sound of a monster disintegrating.

Annabeth went up to it, her eyes fixed on the sky. She was holding Medusa's black veil. She told Percy, "Don't move."

Very, very carefully, without looking down, she knelt and draped the monster's head in black cloth, then picked it up. It was still dripping green juice.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, her voice trembling.

"Yeah", he replied though I knew he was not.

I was not a healer but I knew from experience that flushing out poisons was not a comfortable experience. But, I didn't say anything. He just killed the dangerous Medusa. He deserved to play macho a little.

"Why didn't ... why didn't the head evaporate?"

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war", she said, "Same as your minotaur horn and the Fury's fire whip. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."

We found some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter and double-wrapped Medusa's head.

We plopped it on the table where we'd eaten dinner and sat around it, too exhausted to speak.

Finally Percy said, "So we have Athena to thank for this monster?"

Annabeth flashed him an irritated look.

"Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who had helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up, but she wanted to preserve you as a nice statue. She's still sweet on your dad. You probably reminded her of him."

Percy's face was turning an amusing shade of red.

"Oh, so now it's my fault we met Medusa."

Annabeth straightened. In a bad imitation of Percy, she said: "'It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?'"

It was so funny that I couldn't help but giggle.

"Iris said that too."

"Iris said that because she believed we had better chance outside especially considering how you were so sweet and lovey-dovey with the monster."

"Forget it", Percy said, "You're impossible."

"You're insufferable."

"You're—"

"Enough! We have some work to do. After that, I will give you both time to continue your flirting.", I said inwardly wondering what happened to my promise.

It was amusing to see the same shade of red appearing on both of their cheeks.

Percy got up.

"I'll be back."

"Percy," Annabeth called after me. "What are you—"

He left. I gave a reassuring nod to Annabeth and followed him.

I searched the back of the warehouse until I found him looking over the account book in the Medusa's office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden.

According to one freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. He folded up the bill and stuffed it in his pocket.

In the cash register, there were twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas, and some packing slips for Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins. Percy rummaged around the rest of the office until he found the right-size box.

"If you are going to do what I think you are going to do, I have some better ideas that will send a much stronger message.", I said.

He looked at me as if he was surprised that I was not trying to stop him. Really? The very fact that I joined the quest should have let him know that I had a reckless side that loved danger.

"Really? Tell me."

"There are two options for you. First is the well travelled path, tried and tested. The safe path. The path the gods would expect you to take. A path that every hero from the first Perseus to Theseus and Bellerophon had taken irrespective of their parentage. Gift it to Athena. As long as you don't insult her in writing, she will take it as a complement. She will even take it with her to every Council meeting to rub it in your father's face. As this is a quest issued by her father to get us killed, she won't lift a finger to help us though. Of course, if you are planning to date Professor Bethy, that is the option you should take. As someone once said, it is never too early to start impressing your prospective mother-in-law."

Percy became flustered when I mentioned the last part.

"I am not planning to date Annabeth."

"The second option is the less travelled path. The dangerous path filled with unknowns. A path no hero, to my knowledge, had taken before. This option is about impressing your stepmother Amphritite. She will be as pleased with the gift and would use it to gain bargaining power over your father. While she is the Queen of Atlantis, she is not that well known or respected outside the sea. She is not even a goddess, just a sea nymph. By giving it to her, you will striking the Olympians where it hurts them the most, their ego. If she really likes the gift, you might even find yourself a new ally old grandpa has no authority over."

He seemed to be thinking it over trying to choose between mother-in-law and step mother. When a smirk came on his face, I knew what he chose and I approved.

Percy went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:

**Amphritite**

**Queen of Atlantis**

**Atlantis,**

**With best wishes, **

**PERCY JACKSON**

**IRIS POTTER**

I then added a few sentences myself.

**Sponsored by Anti Adultery Association**

**Hera Persephone Ariadne Amphritite**

**Chairwoman Treasurer Event Manager ?**

"They're not going to like that.", Annabeth warned, "They'll think you're impertinent."

I poured some golden drachmas in the pouch. As soon as I closed it, there was a sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a pop!

"We are impertinent.", we said synchronously.

We looked at Annabeth daring her to criticize.

She didn't. She seemed resigned to the fact that we had a major talent for ticking off the gods.

"Come on," she muttered. "We need a new plan."

"An entirely new plan.", I stated.

X-X-X-X-X


	8. The Anteater and the Chihuahua

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 8 : The Anteater and the Chihuahua

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

This chapter will be in Iris' Pov unless stated otherwise.

X-X-X-X-X

We stayed the night in the Medusa's lair. Annabeth and Percy understandably wanted to leave the place as soon as they could but I convinced them that it was the safest place for us at the moment. The best way to hide a demigod scent from a monster was with the scent of an even more powerful monster. Self preservation instincts would always override everything else. It was the way of nature. The place reeked of Medusa's scent and the stink of her greasy food. No monster would dare come within a mile of the place. For all the trouble she had caused when she was alive, she was quite useful in death. I had a feeling that things were going to get harder and we should take every opportunity to get a good night's sleep without worrying about the monsters attacking us when we were vulnerable.

When the morning came, Percy was naturally the last to get up. After we had our breakfast, we got seated on the dining area to discuss our new plan. I took out the map of USA and brochures I got free from the flight here and gave it to Annabeth to explain the plan. She pointed out the different possible routes they could take, the states they would pass through, the distance they would cover, the approximate number of days that would take, possible expenses and even the many tourist attractions on the way in the map. Someone had really done their homework. Wow, I was impressed. I could tell from Percy's glassy eyed expression that he agreed with me. Then again, it could be his natural state.

"With a country big enough to have 50 states, I thought you Americans would have trouble remembering their names, I know I do. But, you seem to know everything there is to know about the country.", I said.

Annabeth smiled slightly and said, "48 states actually. The country has 50 states but gods have authority only in the mainland. Hawaii and Alaska are lands beyond the Gods. Some say that the moment the gods step foot on them, they will be reduced to demigod status. I might have mentioned before, I have been waiting for this quest for a long time. As I didn't know then where we might be required to go, I have spent a lot of time learning everything about the 48 states."

Her smile suddenly dimmed and she looked like she was gathering courage to say something.

"When Chiron told you about demigods travelling across the country, he was talking about u-me and my friends. I...am sorry. I just wanted to know what was happening. You came from outside and looked like you were in a fight. So, I thought you would know something."

"Forget about it, Annie. We are not going to grudge over it or anything. You are not the first person to let curiosity get the better of you though you seem to be the type to say that ignorance killed the cat and curiosity was simply framed.", I replied.

"Yeah. You wouldn't be you if you didn't do something like that, Annabeth. We like you the way you are.", Percy said.

I turned to look at him in shock. It was a thoughtful and intelligent comment. And Percy said it. What was going to happen next? Annabeth starting to love spiders?

"Annabeth, my ears might have started to malfunction. Did Percy just say that?", I asked her.

Annabeth quickly caught on and replied with a mischievous smile, "I heard that too. It seems Medusa added something in our drinks that damaged our ears."

"Hey! I can be smart too.", Percy said pouting.

We looked at each other and burst into laughter. For a few moments, we forgot our perilous journey and the dangers awaiting us and enjoyed being normal adolescents. But reality had to return sometime.

"We have discussed the route and now we need to discuss the suspects. Both of you suspect the Lord of Dead...with good reason. That brings up the questions how, why and where. If he was the one who stole it, it would be mostly in the Underworld but we cannot just assume it. The reason is easy. Revenge but why now. Do you have suggestions for how? As far as I know, he is Mr. Unpopular in the camp."

"He might have broken the oath too. He could be hiding his children somewhere.", Percy said.

Annabeth said, "There are many unclaimed demigods in Hermes cabin. Any of them could be his child. Then there are the Hecate children."

"What about Hecate kids?", I asked.

"Well", she started hesitantly, "The Goddess of Magic is a known friend of the Lord of the Dead, close enough that she has a permanent quarters in the Underworld. It is not beyond norm for her children to do his bidding. I would have said it could have been someone in the magical world but a Hellhound was summoned straight from the Fields of Punishment. I had to be someone in the camp who has deep understanding of the Underworld."

I pursed my lips and said, "Let us look at other suspects. Lord of the Sky would be the next suspect. He has already tried to kill us even though we were supposedly his last chance at getting back his master bolt. It could mean that he doesn't need our services to find what he already has. After all, it is not like there is any proof that it has been stolen. We only have his word for it and we know it has no value."

"But why would he lie about it?, Annabeth asked.

"He wants Atlantis, of course. Think about it. He chose the Lord of the Sea to blame out of everyone when his master bolt was 'stolen'. It is all about appearances. If he had directly attacked the place, he would be seen as a tyrant trying to usurp his brother's throne but now, he is seen as someone enforcing justice. If he succeeds, he will move on to the Underworld with the resources of two of the most powerful domains. If he succeeds there, it will be like Fourth Age all over again. The king will have unlimited power with no one daring to oppose him. At present, the three Brothers are rivals nearly equal in power. While it is bad for their kids, it keeps power distribution in balance, even if an unstable one. It's just a possibility, mind you.", I replied.

Annabeth sighed and nodded, "They are the main suspects to keep an eye on. There are too many suspects to name everyone. He did piss off the majority of minor gods at one time or another. So, one of them might have taken inspiration from Eris' golden apple or it could have been Eris herself. We don't know enough to eliminate any possibilities."

" Annie, do you know whether there is any ATM near this Amstrack station?"

She thought for a moment and then said, "Last time, an ATM was there a little further away. Hopefully, things have improved. Do you have an international account you can access from here?"

I noted that she didn't protest the nickname. Perhaps, she must have gotten fed up arguing about it but I liked to think it was because we were becoming closer friends.

I smiled at her and said, "Some things are much better seen in action. I don't know much about your currency anyway. So, I would require your assistance."

It seemed there was an ATM right outside the station. The three of us entered it. I took my Gringotts vault key and inserted it into a hole on the side. The background in the screen immediately changed to white and the name of the bank changed to Gringotts International. I typed the code and selected the language as Greek.

"Our banking system is the responsibility of Gringotts, a bank run by the goblins. The entire Western Europe, USA and Canada are their domain, some countries like Switzerland and Belgium have gnomes and Scandinavia is under the dwarfs. All the magical societies use the same currency : gold coins called galleons, silver coins called sickles and bronze coins called knuts. 29 knuts make a sickle and 17 sickles make a galleon. One galleon is equivalent to 25 pounds or 40 dollars."

"40 dollars?"

"Yep. It is the consequence of a relatively low population."

There were three options on the screen. First had a picture of Abraham Lincoln and had Dollars written on it. I wondered whether Abraham Lincoln was the picture of the day or was he there because a daughter of Athena was standing beside me.

"If I drag the icon for mortal currency instead of tapping it, I can choose the kind of mortal currency.", I told them.

Second had the picture of goblins counting gems and had galleons written on it. The third...

"Who is the jogger guy?", Percy asked causing me to roll my eyes.

Annabeth sighed in exasperation and said, " Cabin 11. Hermes, God of Travellers, Thieves, Roads and so on."

I guess they could only see Hermes. I could see both of them intermittently. Hermes was ,as Percy described, the jogger guy with a mischievous expression on his face wearing winged sneakers and an arm band that had intertwining snakes on it. Mercury was a serious looking business man in a formal suit and had a staff with intertwining snakes on it.

I tapped the first option and typed $250, slightly higher than what Annabeth had recommended. It was a good thing galleons was priced much higher. I would not have to worry about exceeding the allowed limit.

X-X-X-X-X

**Percy**

We spent two days on the Amtrak train, heading west through hills, over rivers, past amber waves of grain.

We weren't attacked once, but I didn't relax. Iris, on the other hand, was behaving like a kid in candy store. She was looking at everything intently as if she was storing the images in a camera in her mind. Whenever they would pass a town, she would look it up a map and browse for information on her brochures. I guess it was like a vacation for her.

I felt that we were traveling around in a display case, being watched from above and maybe from below, that something was waiting for the right opportunity.

I tried to keep a low profile because my name and picture were splattered over the front pages of several East Coast newspapers.

The picture's caption read:

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of his mother two weeks ago.

His stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his capture.

"Don't worry," Annabeth told me. "Mortal police could never find us."

But she didn't sound so sure.

The rest of the day I spent alternately pacing the length of the train (because I had a really hard time sitting still) or looking out the windows.

Once, I spotted a family of centaurs galloping across a wheat field, bows at the ready, as they hunted lunch.

The little boy centaur, who was the size of a second-grader on a pony, caught my eye and waved. I looked around the passenger car, but nobody else had noticed. The adult riders all had their faces buried in laptop computers or magazines.

Another time, toward evening, I saw something huge moving through the woods. I could've sworn it was a lion, except that lions don't live wild in America, and this thing was the size of a Hummer. Its fur glinted gold in the evening light.

The money Iris had taken out from her account had only enough to get us tickets as far as Denver. I didn't know whether the prices had risen a lot since the last time Annabeth was out in the real world or her pride didn't allow her to ask for anything more than what she felt was the minimum possible.

Luckily Iris' decision to take some extra money ensured that we got the berths in the sleeper car. I didn't want to think how unbearable the travel would have been if we had to doze in the seats.

"So", Annabeth asked me, "Who wants your help?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you were asleep, you mumbled, 'I won't help you.' Who were you dreaming about?"

I was reluctant to say anything. It was the second time I'd dreamed about the evil voice from the pit. But it bothered me so much I finally told her.

Annabeth was quiet for a long time.

"That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs."

"He offered my mother in trade. Who else could do that?"

"I guess ... if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?"

"Percy, you can't barter with Hades. You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy-"

"Just like his brother Zeus.", Iris piped startling me as I had thought she was too engrossed in her sightseeing to listen in on our conversation.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and said, "Yes. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"

"This time?", I asked, "You mean you've run into them before?"

Her hand crept up to her necklace. She fingered a glazed white bead painted with the image of a pine tree, one of her clay end-of-summer tokens.

"Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."

"What would you do if it was your dad?"

"That's easy," she said. "I'd leave him to rot."

"You're not serious?"

Annabeth's gray eyes fixed on me. She wore the same expression she'd worn in the woods at camp, the moment she drew her sword against the hellhound.

"My dad's resented me since the day I was born, Percy", she said, "He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent."

"But how ... I mean, I guess you weren't born in a hospital..."

"I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down from Olympus by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. But he always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him. When I was five he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist."

I stared out the train window. The lights of a sleeping town were drifting by. I wanted to make Annabeth feel better, but I didn't know how.

"My mom married a really awful guy", I told her, "Grover said she did it to protect me, to hide me in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what your dad was thinking."

Annabeth kept worrying at her necklace. She was pinching the gold college ring that hung with the beads.

It occurred to me that the ring must be her father's. I wondered why she wore it if she hated him so much.

"He doesn't care about me", she said, "His wife-my stepmom-treated me like a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children. My dad went along with her. Whenever something dangerous happened-you know, something with monsters-they would both look at me resentfully, like, 'How dare you put our family at risk.' Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away."

"It is alright, Annabeth. You know the old saying about monkey and the pearl necklace. If they do not have the basic intelligence to realise how special you are, they don't deserve you anyway.", Iris said.

"How old were you when you ran away?", I asked.

"Same age as when I started camp. Seven."

"But ... you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself."

"Not alone, no. Athena watched over me, guided me toward help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway."

I wanted to ask what happened, but Annabeth seemed lost in sad memories.

"Considering that you both already told your life stories, it is only fair that I do the same. I was born to a father who was the heir of a noble family who has been all magical since the 10th century and a mother who was the first magical in her family during the war time. The war was between a power hungry wizard called Voldemort who rallied behind him those who believed that the magicals without the necessary magical ancestry should be exterminated to keep the magical lines pure and the rest who were called blood traitors. It is hypocrisy at its finest as Voldemort, whose real name is Tom Riddle, was himself the result of the union of a very weak witch and a non magical. My parents fought against his tyranny and did enough damage to gain his personal attention. He killed them but when he tried to kill me, his curse backfired on him leaving me with a scar and a moniker Girl-Who-Lived.", she paused to show us her scar, "I was then left on the doorstep of my mother's sister's house. Petunia and her husband Vernon are monsters who should be locked up far away from the children. With their obsession with being seen as a normal family, you would think they would actually treat me like a human being. They made every effort to ensure that I knew I was a burden. While their good for nothing son had a bedroom to sleep in and another bedroom to keep his broken toys in, yes he had that many broken toys, I was stuffed in a closet under the stairs like a dirty secret they wanted no one to know. I had to eat the scraps of food that are left after they had their fill to stave off my hunger. They even made up some silly excuses to deny me that. It was common for them to lock me up for days without food, water or opportunity to go to toilet. So, it was not exactly a hygienic place. I am still surprised I didn't get any infection like they had hoped. When I asked them about my parents, they said they were drunkards who died in a car accident and that my mother was a...loose woman would be the polite term and they definitely didn't use it. I was sent to school when I was 5, perhaps because despite their efforts, the neighbours knew about my existence and started asking about it. It was there that I learned that what happened to me was not normal. I understood not long afterwards that they feared me for some reason but had some foolish belief that if they managed to break my spirit, they could control me and use me. I knew then that being a good girl would only result in my rotting body dumped alongside the garbage. Manipulation, bribery, blackmail and fearmongering became my new friends. By my eight birthday, I became the Queen of Privet Drive, the saviour of oppressed and the nightmare of the oppressers."

I realised that my eyes were moist and I had tear tracks on my face. Annabeth was faring no better. It was hard to believe that such a friendly girl would have such a terrible childhood. Then again, Luke had the same hatred and bitterness hidden beneath his friendly exterior. Perhaps, that was the reason they got on so well.

"Don't pity or sympathise me. After all, I won and they lost. The very crimes they committed against me gives me power over them. They now live with the fear that the moment I feel that they are not useful anymore I would start talking and they will end up in jail with hardened criminals who have no love for child abusers their normal reputation in tatters.", Iris spoke.

Iris then drew back her sleeve to show us the tatoo that was branded on her left hand : the animated video of a Huntress shooting an arrow with a crescent moon shaped bow, the symbol of her claiming.

She extended her hand palm up and said, " Friends forever."

I knew what she was asking. I drew back my own sleeve exposing my symbol : spinning green trident with tides washing its base.

I placed my hand on hers palm up and said, "Friends forever"

Annabeth drew back her sleeve exposing her symbol : an owl landing on the branch of an olive tree.

She placed her palm on mine and said, " Friends forever."

It was then that I noticed that our symbols had started glowing. Soon, we started glowing too. Iris glowed silver, I green and Annabeth light brown. On our left hands which were in contact, the colours were moving around mixing together. Suddenly, the colours went back to their original positions and we stopped glowing.

"What was that?", Annabeth asked.

"Forming of an emotional bond powered by our godly side. Nothing intrusive. We will just work better as a team.", Iris replied.

"You knew that would happen, didn't you?"

"We are bound by a prophecy, shared an emotional conversation. We are a trio, three is the magical number for safety, protection, defence and stability. There was a good chance of it happening. It would only have happened if we were already compatible and would have reached that level of understanding with time.", Iris spoke.

"So, what are its benefits?", Annabeth, ever the scholar, asked.

X-X-X-X-X

Toward the end of our second day on the train, June 13, eight days before the summer solstice, we passed through some golden hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis. Annabeth craned her neck to see the Gateway Arch, which looked to me like a huge shopping bag handle stuck on the city.

"I want to do that", she sighed.

"What?", I asked.

"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy?"

"Only in pictures."

"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years."

I laughed.

"You? An architect?"

I didn't know why, but I found it funny. Just the idea of Annabeth trying to sit quietly and draw all day.

Her cheeks flushed.

"Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create things, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."

"I am sure Annabeth would be a great architect and an inspiration for the coming generations.", Iris backed her up giving him a stern look to show her disapproval.

I watched the churning brown water of the Mississippi below feeling glum.

"Sorry", Annabeth said, "That was mean."

"Can't we work together a little?", I pleaded, "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"

Annabeth had to think about it.

"I guess ... the chariot", she said tentatively, "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete."

"Wait! I thought Poseidon created horses to impress Demeter.", Iris said.

"I guess the mortals do have a myth like that. The truth is that by the time Poseidon decided to seduce Demeter, the horses have been there for a long time. Remember, Demeter hid from him as a mare among horses. Poseidon disguised himself as one of the horses and the union resulted in Arion, the fastest horse in the world.", Annabeth replied.

"Then we can cooperate, too. Right?"

We rode into the city, Annabeth watching as the Arch disappeared behind a hotel.

"I suppose," she said at last.

We pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.

"Come on, rainbow", Annabeth said, "Sightseeing."

"Rainbow?", Iris asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well...you have your own nicknames for me. So, it is only fair that I create one for you. Your name is Iris. So, your nickname is Rainbow."

"You are as bad as Percy. Anyway, what is this about sightseeing?"

"The Gateway Arch", she said, "This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?"

Iris and I exchanged looks. We did not trust Zeus not to attack us if we skirt around his domain but on seeing her enthusiasm, we did not have the heart to mention it. We knew that if we did, she would insist on us staying here and go off alone. We figured that if Annabeth was going, we couldn't very well let her go alone.

The Arch was about a mile from the train station. Late in the day the lines to get in weren't that long. We threaded our way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other junk from the 1800s. It wasn't all that thrilling, but Annabeth kept telling us interesting facts about how the Arch was built, and Iris kept passing me jelly beans, so I was okay.

But something felt wrong to me. I had a feeling we shouldn't be here.

"Guys," I said. "You know the gods' symbols of power?"

Annabeth had been in the middle of reading about the construction equipment used to build the Arch, but she looked over. "Yeah?"

"Well, Hade—"

Iris cleared his throat.

"We're in a public place... You were telling us about your dead uncle, yes?"

"Um, right," I said. "My dead uncle. Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

"You mean the Helm of Darkness.", Annabeth said, "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

"He was there?", I asked.

She nodded.

"It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus—the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat, if what I've heard is true. It allows him to become darkness. He can melt into shadow or pass through walls.

He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"But then ... how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?", I asked.

Annabeth and Iris exchanged looks.

"We don't.", Iris said.

"Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better.", I said, "Got any blue jelly beans left?"

"Annabeth", Iris said carefully, "You said you were there at the Winter Solistice, the day theft was said to have happened."

"Yes. Every Solistice, Chiron takes us on a tour of Olympus.", Annabeth said as if she should have already known about it.

"Did anything unusual happen there? Other than your Cap going missing that is.", Iris asked.

"No, nothing. In fact, no one suspected it was different in any way until after we returned to the camp and noticed that the weather started acting weirdly for no reason.", Annabeth said, "Wait! How did you know that my Cap went missing that day?"

"Just a guess. The theft happened on that day and the thief needed a way to go around undetected. While I don't think your mom loved you enough to give you a cap that can hide you from her, it might work against those of lesser power like the minor gods or nymphs who actually do the menial work there. They are always the first to notice anything odd or uncharacteristic.", Iris replied.

"It was actually Clarisse who took the cap. Surely, you are not saying she is the thief, are you?", Annabeth asked disbelief coloring her tone.

"The female Rambo? No. She would not know what stealth is if it hit her in the face. On the other hand, you did say that the cap was a present for your 12th birthday. I assume the Winter Solistice was not long after it. Who all knew about it by then?"

Annabeth's cheeks turned red as if she was embarrassed.

"I didn't exactly keep it a secret."

Iris surprisingly made no effort to tease her.

She simply nodded as if she didn't even notice her embarrassment and said, "If the theft had happened, the thief would need some time to hide the object in a location from where the owner can't just summon it back or give it to his employer. Even if the employer was an Olympian as suspected at present, they would prefer to receive it far away from Olympus where there is less chance of being caught. Did you notice anyone missing when you returned to the camp, someone who arrived a day or two later?"

"No. If I had known what had happened, I would have made it a point to look out for someone like that."

I'd almost mastered my jumpy nerves when I saw the tiny little elevator car we were going to ride to the top of the Arch, and I knew I was in trouble. I hate confined places. They make me nuts.

I guess I was not as bad as Iris. The moment she saw the elevator, she became as pale as a ghost and looked at it as if she had just seen Medusa come back alive. She was terrified of confined spaces.

"You don't have to come with us, you know. You could stay here and wait for us to come back.", I said hoping to calm her.

She turned even more pale instead and looked at me as if I had just asked her to choose between Scylla and Charybdis. It was weird to see her like that when she usually looked like she could handle anything.

Her face took on a look of determination.

"I am coming with you.", she said in a tone that brook no arguments.

We got shoehorned into the car with this big fat lady and her dog, a Chihuahua with a rhinestone collar. I figured maybe the dog was a seeing-eye Chihuahua, because none of the guards said a word about it.

We started going up, inside the Arch. I'd never been in an elevator that went in a curve, and my stomach wasn't too happy about it.

"No parents?" the fat lady asked us.

She had beady eyes; pointy, coffee-stained teeth; a floppy denim hat, and a denim dress that bulged so much, she looked like a blue-jean blimp.

"They're below," Annabeth told her, "Scared of heights."

I winced. Who knew a small girl like Iris would have such an iron grip?

I had to admit that Iris was quite good at keeping a composure. She looked calm and cool. The only indications of her fear were her paler than usual face and the tight grip of her hands on his. Anyone who didn't know her well wouldn't know a thing.

"Oh, the poor darlings."

The Chihuahua growled.

The woman said, "Now, now, Sonny. Behave."

The dog had beady eyes like its owner, intelligent and vicious.

I said, "Sonny. Is that his name?"

"No", the lady told me.

She smiled, as if that cleared everything up.

At the top of the Arch, the observation deck reminded me of a tin can with carpeting. Rows of tiny windows looked out over the city on one side and the river on the other. The view was okay, but if there's anything I like less than a confined space, it's a confined space six hundred feet in the air. I was ready to go pretty quick.

Annabeth kept talking about structural supports, and how she would've made the windows bigger, and designed a see-through floor.

She probably could've stayed up there for hours, but luckily for Iris and me the park ranger announced that the observation deck would be closing in a few minutes.

We steered Annabeth and loaded her on to the elevator. It was when we tried to get in that we realised that the elevator was full.

The park ranger said, "Next car, sir."

"I'll get out," Annabeth said. "I'll wait with you."

But that was going to mess everybody up and take even more time, so I said, "Naw, it's okay. I'll see you at the bottom."

"Yeah. I will pull Percy out of any trouble he gets into.", Iris spoke.

Annabeth looked nervous, but they let the elevator door slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

Now the only people left on the observation deck were me, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the fat lady with her Chihuahua.

I smiled uneasily at the fat lady. She smiled back, her forked tongue flickering between her teeth.

Wait a minute. Forked tongue?

Before I could decide if I'd really seen that, her Chihuahua jumped down and started yapping at us.

"Now, now, Sonny", the lady said, "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" said the little boy. "Look, a doggie!"

His parents pulled him back.

The Chihuahua bared his teeth at me, foam dripping from his black lips.

"Well, son," the fat lady sighed. "If you insist."

Ice started forming in my stomach. "Urn, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?"

"Chimera, dear", the fat lady corrected, "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

The Chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion.

The bark became a roar.

The little boy screamed. His parents pulled him back toward the exit, straight into the park ranger, who stood, paralyzed, gaping at the monster.

The Chimera was now so tall it's back rubbed against the roof. It had the head of a lion with a blood-caked mane, the body and hooves of a giant goat, and a serpent for a tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing right out of its shaggy behind. The rhinestone dog collar still hung around its neck, and the plate-sized dog tag was now easy to read: CHIMERA—RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954.

I realized I hadn't even uncapped my sword. My hands were numb. I was ten feet away from the Chimera's bloody maw, and I knew that as soon as I moved, the creature would lunge.

The snake lady made a hissing noise that might've been laughter.

"Be honored, Percy Jackson, Iris Potter. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test a hero with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

I stared at her.

All I could think to say was: "Isn't that a kind of anteater?"

"Percy, that is a different Echidna. This is the monster our camp's head of the security Argus killed in his sleep.", Iris said.

She howled, her reptilian face turning brown and green with rage.

"In his sleep? In his sleep? That miserable lying hundred eyed freak! He was not the one sleeping, I was. He attacked me when I was sleeping in my cave because he did not have the guts to challenge me face to face. For that insult, young heroes, my son shall destroy you!"

The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. We managed to leap aside and dodge the bite.

"That pesky goddess has been hunting down my children and killing them for a many millenia. I would like to see her face when she learns that I have returned the favour with one of hers.", Echidna cackled.

I ended up next to the family and the park ranger, who were all screaming now, trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.

I couldn't let them get hurt.

I uncapped my sword, ran to the other side of the deck, and yelled, "Hey, Chihuahua!"

The Chimera turned faster than I would've thought possible.

Before I could swing my sword, it opened its mouth, emitting a stench like the world's largest barbecue pit, and shot a column of flame straight at me.

I dove through the explosion. The carpet burst into flames; the heat was so intense, it nearly seared off my eye brows.

Where I had been standing a moment before was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch, with melted metal steaming around the edges.

Great, I thought. We just blow torched a national monument.

Riptide was now a shining bronze blade in my hands, and as the Chimera turned, I slashed at its neck.

That was my fatal mistake. The blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar. I tried to regain my balance, but I was so worried about defending myself against the fiery lion's mouth, I completely forgot about the serpent tail until it whipped around and tried to sink its fangs into my calf. Tried.

It ended up sinking its fangs into Iris' hand. Well, Iris wasn't exactly Iris. She was glowing silver and her eyes had turned silvery yellow colour, the colour of moon. It was like the time she lost control in the woods.

"Bad doggie. Lesson number 1 : if you do bad things, you will be punished.", she said.

Suddenly, she plunged two fingers of her bitten hand into the snake's eyes causing the Chimera to roar in pain. I winced. The snake's mouth opened similarly and she enclosed her hand on it

"You know, Percy, when I told Annabeth that I will pull you out of trouble, I was joking.", Iris spoke surprisingly showing no pain of being bitten.

"What took you so long?", I asked.

"I was helping the mortals to safety so that we could go all out without worrying about endangering them."

She started crushing the snake in her palm causing the monster to go ballistic. It smashed and burned through the roof causing us to go open air.

"Zeus sent his dogs to kill us. We might as well give him a show."

She then pointed her wand forward and said, "Aguamenti"

A torrent of water came out of her wand and coated the floor. I instantly felt a tug in my gut. I was now thankful that Iris had pushed me into the sea to get to know my father's domain.

"Why are you not dying? The venom should have weakened you by now.", screeched Echidna.

"I defeated the mighty Python. Surely, you didn't think a rattlesnake could kill me.", Iris replied.

"He is not a rattlesnake. He is a diamondback, a venomous one."

"Was actually.", she said pointing to the snake or to be more specific the burnt out mess that was left of it.

Echidna roared in fury and said, "Kill them both, sonny."

"Percy, I will take care of the son. You take care of the mother. Don't forget that Fury's whip is not just for show. Now, smokescreen."

I had honestly forgotten about the whip. She was right. In this situation, it might be better.

The Chimera turned its head and breathed fire on us right after I capped my sword and returned it to my pocket. I willed the water to rise and attack the fire head on. It did not take long for steam formed to spread all over the place obscuring the vision.

Suddenly, the fire stopped forming and the wind blowed driving away the steam.

Zeus didn't want to miss the show.

A huge python had wound around the Chimera and was strangling it while the monster was hopelessly struggling to survive. I should have been scared of another monster coming up but I had the feeling that it would never hurt me. I would have expected it to start spewing fire but it seemed that the lion head had only one orientation : forward. The only true danger the python might have faced was the snake tail which was hanging lifelessly. The mighty Chimera had just found a mightier foe. Soon enough, Chimera stopped struggling and dissolved into golden dust which was blown away by the wind. The python's body rippled and shrunk until in its place remained a tired looking Iris Potter.

We stood there for a moment in shock. Echidna was the first one to come out of shock.

"You killed my son. I will kill you.", she screeched and lunged at Iris.

Echidna was much faster than I expected an incredibly fat woman to be but luckily, I was prepared. I swung the whip like I had seen the Fury do. I intended to wind it around its neck but it ended up winding itself around the body. I guess I was not bad for a first timer.

Echidna started to scream in pain due to the searing heat of the whip. For the mother of Chimera, she had no immunity to fire.

I pulled her towards me and she moved a few inches. Perhaps, it was time for someone to introduce the concept of dieting to Zeus for his servants. I didn't want to think how hard it would have been without any water on the floor.

"Come on, fatty. Move.", I shouted pulling her even more closer.

That seemed to have enraged her more. She started struggling more vigorously shouting death threats at both of us. Hearing her words, I was suddenly glad that Hades insisted on high quality products for his servants.

I pulled as hard as I could and suddenly Echidna started sliding towards me much faster than I expected. I only had enough time to jump over her and let go of the whip. I turned around to see her fall down 600 feet into a watery grave. I had a weird feeling that if I didn't have Iris to back me up, I would be the one falling to death. Even if my father's influence extended to the rivers in the middle of American mainland, Zeus would electrocute me to ashes before I can reach there for intruding into his domain.

"I have a feeling that Echidna won't be so enthusiastic about Zeus' assignments anymore."

I turned to see Iris coming up behind me with a smile on her face. Her eyes had turned back to its usual leafy green colour and I could not help but look at it. I had not noticed it before but looking at her eyes was like looking at a forest. For the first time in my life, I started to appreciate the beauty of nature. I don't know how long we spent staring at each other's eyes. Some sound nearby startled us into breaking eye contact. It seemed like someone was coming up.

Iris took out her magical Cloak and said, "Get in. When they come to investigate, we will quietly leave."

We became invisible and started moving towards the exit. Iris suddenly stopped and bend down to pick up something. It was a red cigarette lighter with swirls of bright yellow indicating fire. She lit it and blew into the fire. An inferno similar to the Chimera's breath burned a hole into the other side.

"It seems Chimera has left me a parting gift.", Iris said with a smirk on her face.

"I wish I didn't lose the whip after using only once. I guess it was good while it lasted."

Iris looked at me as if I had gone mad.

"Hasn't anyone told you about it? The spoils of war are yours until you willingly give it up. They will always return to you as long as you want it to. If you check your wrists, you will find that the whip has already returned.", she said.

I checked my wrist and found that she was right. I groaned. Why do I have to be the last one to know everything?

She continued, "But, there is nothing wrong in being careful. There are magicks that can sever the connection between the owner and spoils of war. We would not have had to go on this quest if Zeus could have simply summoned his bolt to himself."

"So, when did you learn to turn into a snake? Is that a magical thing?", I asked.

Iris smirked playfully at me and said, "Now, now, that would be telling. A girl has got to keep some secrets."

X-X-X-X-X

**3rd Person Pov**

Artemis sat in the middle of her temple, or to be more specific her glorified prison, feeling dejected. Everything had been going wrong lately. It all started with her father losing his master bolt. He then convened an emergency meeting with accusations thrown around and eventually her father decided that Poseidon must be the culprit. He sent all of his children to find his symbol of power. She felt humiliated at having to return empty handed even after scouring every inch of the country with her hunters for a month. At least no one else was successful either.

It seemed that a gigantic creature had been roaming around the magical school her daughter had been in and Hecate had not bothered to tell her. After she gets out, she would visit that headmaster and ask him what was his definition of safety. If the answer was not satisfactory, he would lose an important organ that he might not be using much in his old age.

Then, there was the fact that Iris broke the bindings that had been placed on her when it was set to release when she came of age. Then again, according to their old rules, anyone who pursued a beast and killed it in its own lair was immediately considered an adult. It was Apollo's hunting and slaying of the beast that ensured that he became an adult much earlier than her even when she was the one born first and she became the 'little sis'. As if she cared about her appearance and slight age difference. It was the implication that he was better hunter than her that she could not stomach.

As if that was not bad enough, her daughter had to sacrifice her kill when the situation was tense and at the very moment she was in an emergency Council meeting. She was actually flattered that her daughter sacrificed something big for her but she just wished the girl had better timing.

She also heard from Apollo that Iris had joined the quest to retrieve the master bolt. She sighed. Her little girl had gone on a quest with no training, no weapons other than her dagger and equally inexperienced demigods as companions. She wished she could have given her daughter more weapons but the creature was something she had never seen before. The creature looked like a younger Lydian drakon but it's fangs were filled with basilisk venom. She would bet her hunter's lives that the clawed out eyes were the eyes of a basilisk killing stare included. If not for Hecate, they would not have known that it was a magically created hybrid rather than a previously unknown species. She could understand her father's fear. It was built to be the perfect killing machine.

She looked at the photo in her hand. It was a magical photo of her holding her daughter in her hands and kissing her forehead. Seeing the photo, she could see why everyone had so much difficulty believing that she was actually a millenia year old goddess. Her small size, enthusiasm and obvious inexperience made her look like an elder sister rather than a mother.

"Why, my little doe, do you have to put yourself in danger when I had given you an out?"

X-X-X-X-X

Note : In this story, Grover told Percy about his mother's decision to marry Gabe right before he left to search for Pan in hopes of making Percy feel better.


	9. A God buys us dinner

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 9 : A God buys us dinner

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

This chapter will be in Percy's Pov unless stated otherwise.

X-X-X-X-X

I did not know how we could have escaped the place undetected without Iris' Cloak and her stealth instincts. Every emergency vehicle in St. Louis was surrounding the Arch.

Police helicopters circled overhead. The crowd of onlookers reminded me of Times Square on New Year's Eve.

A news lady was talking for the camera: "Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage, as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of someone falling from the Arch."

"... an adolescent boy," another reporter was saying. "Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show an adolescent boy going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities-"

We stayed near the river just in case any stray monsters were nearby and Iris put back her Cloak in her handbag.

"Percy, Iris"

Annabeth stood behind us, trying to look angry, but she seemed relieved to see us.

"I can't leave you two alone for five minutes! What happened?"

"Annie, you make it sound like we were snogging and feeling up each other."

Her cheeks initially turned red but she then glared at us and said, "Don't joke about it. Tell me what happened."

Just then we were splashed with river water. Iris turned her head to tell off that person in colourful words but she paused. I turned my head and saw a woman who had only her head above the water beckoning me to come to her. She looked almost completely transparent as if she was made of water.

"Percy, it hasn't been long since you entered the world of gods and you already have sea nymphs vying for your affections.", Iris spoke.

"What?", I asked eloquently.

She smirked at me her green eyes gleaming mischievously.

"I will give you a survival tip that every boy should know. Never keep a beautiful lady waiting, doubly so if she is a nymph.", she said.

Before I could process it, she pushed me into the river. I flayed about for a moment before I realised that I could in fact breathe underwater. As far as I could feel, I was completely dry.

I was falling slowly now, bubbles trickling up through my fingers. I settled on the river bottom soundlessly. A catfish the size of my stepfather lurched away into the gloom. Clouds of silt and disgusting garbage beer bottles, old shoes, plastic bags swirled up all around me.

Fump-fump-fump. A riverboat's paddlewheel churned above me, swirling the silt around.

"Who are you?", I asked.

**I am a messenger. Go to the beach in Santa Monica. **

Her words seemed to come from everywhere, rippling through the water like dolphin sonar.

"What?"

**It is your father's will. I thought I would have to come here without my Queen's knowledge but it seems she has a message for you herself. **

**I will give you the benefit of doubt this time. I will be following your journey. Do not disappoint me.**

**Before you descend into the Underworld, you must go to Santa Monica. Please, Percy, I cannot stay long. The river here is too foul for my presence.**

"But ..."

**I cannot stay, brave one**,the woman said. She reached out, and I felt the current brush my face like a caress.

**You must go to Santa Monica! And, Percy, do not trust the gifts...**

Her voice faded.

"Gifts?", I asked, "What gifts? Wait!"

She made one more attempt to speak, but the sound was gone.

Then I kicked up through the muck and swam for the surface. I came ashore and saw Annabeth and Iris waiting for me.

A little girl said, "Mama! That boy walked out of the river."

"That's nice, dear", her mother said, craning her neck to watch the ambulances.

"But he's dry!"

"That's nice, dear."

Behind us, a cop shouted, "Gangway!" The crowd parted, and a couple of paramedics hustled out, rolling a woman on a stretcher. I recognized her immediately as the mother of the little boy who'd been on the observation deck.

She was saying, "And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua-"

"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in."

"I'm not crazy! This boy was with the monster when the door opened and we escaped."

Then she saw me.

"There he is! That's the boy!"

Iris then did some weird motion with her hand much faster than I could follow. The woman blinked twice.

"There he is! That's the boy!", she said pointing at the little girl who had noticed me earlier.

I turned quickly and pulled Annabeth and Iris after me not wanting to risk some one else noticing me. We disappeared into the crowd.

"What's going on?", Annabeth demanded, "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"

I told her the whole story of the Chimera, Echidna, our fight, and the underwater lady's message with Iris adding things in once in a while.

"So, we will have to stop by this Santa Monica place. No problem. It is on our way, right?", Iris spoke.

"Not really. We might have to take a slightly longer route but it is not far enough to be a

serious concern.", Annabeth replied.

Before I could ask Iris about her little trick, we passed another reporter doing a news break, and I almost froze in my tracks when he said, "Percy Jackson. That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boy who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young man wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus explosion three days ago and the boy is believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Percy Jackson."

"I am sorry, Percy. That is beyond my level.", Iris spoke.

We ducked around the news van and slipped into an alley.

"First things first", I told them, "We've got to get out of town!"

Somehow, we made it back to the Amtrak station with out getting spotted. We got on board the train just before it pulled out for Denver. The train trundled west as darkness fell, police lights still pulsing against the St. Louis skyline behind us.

X-X-X-X-X

The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, our train rolled into Denver. We hadn't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. We hadn't taken a shower since Half-Blood Hill. Thankfully, Iris' magic spell ensured that it was not obvious to anyone else. But, as she said, it was a quick fix and not as good as a proper shower.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

"Nereid, Annie. Daughters of Nereus and Doris. They directly serve in Poseidon's court. Calling them river spirit is like saying Kronos is the king of Gods. Remember, Percy told us that she had trouble keeping a corporeal form in the river.", Iris corrected.

I winced. She just had to mention that.

"We can't use phones, right?", I asked.

"I'm not talking about phones."

We wandered through downtown for about half an hour, though I wasn't sure what Annabeth was looking for. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere we turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at me, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.

Finally we found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. We veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping our eyes open for patrol cars. We were three adolescents hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his doughnuts would figure we were up to no good.

"What exactly are we doing?" I asked, as Annabeth took out the spray gun.

"It's seventy-five cents.", she grumbled, "I've only got two quarters left. Iris?"

"Don't look at me.", she said, "The dining car wiped me out."

"Are you sure you can't create a rainbow, Iris? Because it would be very useful now.", Annabeth said hopefully.

"If my great grand mother had given me that ability, I don't know it. I don't know any magic spells for that either.", Iris replied.

I fished out my last bit of change and passed Annabeth a quarter, which left me two nickels and one drachma from Medusa's place.

"Excellent.", Annabeth said, "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

"What are you talking about?"

She fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST.

"I-M'ing."

"Instant messaging?"

"Iris-messaging", Annabeth corrected, "The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods."

"You summon the goddess with a spray gun?"

Annabeth pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow."

Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.

Iris held her palm out to me.

"Drachma, please."

I handed it over.

She raised the coin over her head.

"O Iris, Goddess of Rainbow, please accept our offering."

She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer.

"Half-Blood Hill", Annabeth requested.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then I was looking through the mist at strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. We seemed to be on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

"Luke!", I called.

He turned, eyes wide. I could swear he was standing three feet in front of me through a screen of mist, except I could only see the part of him that appeared in the rainbow.

"Percy!"

His scarred face broke into a grin.

"Is there Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"Yes, Luke. I am a complete stranger. No need to ask about me.", Iris said.

"Iris, you were actually there. You are so small that I didn't notice you at first.", Luke said grinning.

" . . .Height.", Iris said waving her dagger, "If I hear you do it again, when I return to the camp, I will cut off your manhood into something so small that even you won't notice that it exists."

I cringed and instinctively covered that part. It was times like these that I was painfully reminded of her ancestry. Luke, for his part, did not seem too worried. He must have been quite used to threats like that.

He simply turned to me and winked.

"Feisty that one"

Any colourful reply Iris was about to give was interrupted by Annabeth who forcefully pushed the spray gun onto her hands and came into Luke's line of vision.

"Hi ... Luke. We're ... uh ... fine", Annabeth stammered.

She was madly straightening her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. Iris and I looked at each other for a moment sharing the same smirk.

"We thought Chiron I mean-"

"He's down at the cabins.", Luke's smile faded, "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you?"

"What kind of issues?"

Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop.

As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.

"Chiron had to ... what's that noise?", Luke yelled.

"I'll take care of it." Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight.

"Come on, rainbow."

Iris rolled her eyes and followed her after giving me the nozzle muttering something about school girl crushes.

I readjusted the hose so I could keep the rainbow going and still see Luke.

"Chiron had to break up a fight.", Luke shouted to me over the music, "Things are pretty tense here, Percy. Word leaked out about the Zeus-Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how, probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite,

Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

I shuddered to think that Clarisse's cabin would ever be on my dad's side for anything.

In the next stall, I heard Annabeth and some guy arguing with each other, then the music's volume decreased drastically.

"So what's your status?", Luke asked me, "Chiron will be sorry he missed you."

I told him pretty much everything, including my dreams.

It felt so good to see him, to feel like I was back at camp even for a few minutes, that I didn't realize how long I had talked until the beeper went off on the spray machine, and I realized I only had one more minute before the water shut off.

"I wish I could be there", Luke told me, "We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen ... it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."

"But Chiron said the gods can't take each other's magic items directly."

"That's true", Luke said, looking troubled.

"Still ... Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible."

We were both silent, until Luke seemed to realize what he'd said.

"Oh, hey", he protested, "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never ... I mean, she's like a little sister to me."

I wondered if Annabeth would like that description. I noticed he did not mention Iris. Did he believe that her being in UK put her beyond suspicion? Or did he actually suspect her? Or Iris, for all the brother-sister banter, did not trust him enough to reveal the existence of the Cloak? I shook off those thoughts. I was getting paranoid. After all, the Cloak was not something that would come up in a casual conversation. I doubted I would have known of it if she had not needed to use it in the quest.

In the stall next to us, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the Lincoln peeled out of the car wash.

"You'd better go see what that was," Luke said. "Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good."

"Oh ... uh, yeah!", I tried not to sound like a guilty liar, "Yeah, they've come in handy."

Luke started to say something else but his image soon faded leaving an ordinary rainbow behind. A drachma was ejected from it right into my hand.

**I will not charge you for this call, Percy Jackson. Take good care of my great granddaughter.**

The water shut off. The mist started to evaporate.

Soon, I was alone in a wet, empty car wash stall.

Annabeth and Iris came around the corner, laughing, but stopped when they saw my face. Annabeth's smile faded.

"What happened, Percy? What did Luke say?"

"Not much", I lied, my stomach feeling as empty as a Big Three cabin.

"Come on, let's find some dinner."

X-X-X-X-X

A few minutes later, we were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner.

All around us, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas.

Finally the waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically.

"Well?"

I said, "We, um, want to order dinner."

"You kids have money to pay for it?"

Annabeth looked ready to pass out from hunger.

Iris had opened her mouth to say something when a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb.

All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather but leather that looked like ... well, Caucasian human skin.

The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run for Mama.

He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, most brutal face I'd ever seen handsome, I guess, but wicked with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights.

The weird thing was, I felt like I'd seen his face somewhere before.

As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place.

All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations. The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me."

He slid into our booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth against the window.

He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Are you still here?"

He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen.

The biker looked at me. I couldn't see his eyes behind the red shades, but bad feelings started boiling in my stomach. Anger, resentment, bitterness. I wanted to hit a wall. I wanted to pick a fight with somebody. Who did this guy think he was?

He gave me a wicked grin.

"So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?"

I should've been surprised, or scared, but instead I felt like I was looking at my stepdad, Gabe.

I wanted to rip this guy's head off.

"What's it to you?"

Annabeth's eyes flashed me a warning. "Percy, this is-"

The biker raised his hand.

"S'okay", he said, "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousin?"

"Yes Annie, if Percy didn't remain angry, he would not have any power over him.", Iris interjected.

The biker stared at her licking his lips hungrily.

"So, you are the dirty little secret my uppity sister had been hiding all this time, huh? It was clever of her to hide in another country within a society we had all sworn to abandon. I would love to see how you look when you grow up."

The comment had made her so angry that her eyes looked to me more like reptilian slits of her snake form. She gave him a look of cold loathing with the promise of retribution.

Then it struck me why this guy looked familiar. He had the same vicious sneer as some of the kids at Camp Half-Blood, the ones from cabin five.

"You're Clarisse's dad", I said, "Ares, god of War."

Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should've been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions.

"That's right, punk. I heard you broke Clarisse's spear."

"She was asking for it."

"Probably. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you."

The waitress came back with heaping trays of food cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.

Ares handed her a few gold drachmas.

She looked nervously at the coins. "But, these aren't..."

Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?"

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.

"You can't do that", I told Ares, "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

Ares laughed.

"Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."

"What favor could I do for a god?"

"The one that a demigod is supposed to do."

"We're not interested.", I said, "We've already got a quest."

The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.

"A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?"

He leaned forward.

"Or maybe you only fight when your girlfriend is nearby to hold your hand, so she can protect you. After all, you might have been the one with the quest but she has been the leader till now and you were just following her around like a lovesick puppy."

I wanted to punch this guy, but somehow, I knew he was waiting for that. Ares' power was causing my anger. He'd love it if I attacked. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

Ares's fiery eyes made me see things I didn't want to see blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield.

"I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful ...", He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry.

"Well ... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

"You told him Hades stole the bolt?"

"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"Thanks.", I grumbled.

"Hey, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."

"We're doing fine on our own."

"Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. No clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom."

"My mom?"

He grinned.

"That got your attention."

He then placed what looked like a knucklebuster onto the middle of the table.

"When you have finished your dinner, place your hand on it and say 'Ares Fight Club'-"

"Fight club?"

He smirked derisively at me.

"Did you really think I was going to send you to some water park to fetch my shield which I happened to have forgotten while on a date? You are talking to the wrong God then. Hermes is the errand boy. I am the War God. You want my help. You prove your worth to me as warriors. As I was saying, I will explain the details of the test once the Portkey, as your girlfriend calls it, gets you there. If you have any doubts, you can ask her. Enjoy your dinner, demigods. You will need every bit of the energy to pass my test."

After that I must have fainted, or fallen into a trance, because when I opened my eyes again, Ares was gone. I might've thought the conversation had been a dream, but Annabeth and Iris' expressions told me otherwise.

Annabeth said, "Ares sought you out, Percy. This is not good."

I stared out the window. The motorcycle had disappeared.

Did Ares really know something about my mom, or was he just playing with me?

Now that he was gone, all the anger had drained out of me. I realized that Iris was right. Ares loved to mess with people's emotions. That was his power cranking up the passions so badly, they clouded your ability to think.

"It's probably some kind of trick.", I said, "Forget Ares. Let's just go."

Iris spoke, " Percy, remember the prophecy. You shall go west and face the god who has turned. I believe we just met him. Doing his test must be what Oracle alluded to by facing him."

"But what about Hades?", Annabeth asked.

"There is nothing in the prophecy that states that the god has to live in the west.", Iris corrected.

"What about the Portkey thing he has given us?", I asked.

"Do you want a short mention of its purpose or a more detailed explanation?"

"Short.", I said while Annabeth said, "Detailed."

She rolled her eyes and started explaining, "Don't interrupt me. Ask questions only after I am finished. In the olden days, when magicals were not capable of teleportation, they used portals, or wormholes, for distance travel. The portals took a lot of power to create and was quite unstable. If you don't reach the destination quickly enough, the portal will collapse with you in it. It was later found that the moment the person stepped into the portal he was not there at the starting point to power it which was the reason they collapse. The trials were done with someone else creating and maintaining the portal but not many could take the strain of maintaining the portal when someone is in it. It lead the way to permanent stable and safe portals that are grounded to the Earth and used its magic through runes. As it was expensive to create, use and maintain, the governments started charging for its use and it was limited to international travel. Like tickets in cinemas, they give out objects enchanted to facilitate the travel. They were called portkeys, the keys to using the portal. It was later discovered that with a few tweaks to the enchantment, the object could take us on its own but it became more dangerous and unpredictable as the distances increased. It is still called a portkey for convenience sake even when no portal is involved."

"It feels like a fisherman pulling his fishing rod when we are holding on to the hook. I have not used it before but I have heard it's very uncomfortable. All first timers puke on arrival."

"Wonderful."

"Can you really teleport anywhere or are there any restrictions?", Annabeth asked.

"Oh! No! I can't do it. I am just a beginner. Almost all adult magicals can do it though.", Iris replied.

X-X-X-X-X

**Iris**

We landed in front of a dingy-looking establishment that would have fit in well in Knockturn Ally. It was a small building whose walls had its colours dulled by age, its skin peeled off in many places. There was a board whose writing has worn off and I could barely read it as Ares' fight club. I wondered whether Percy or Annabeth could read it with their dyslexia.

The said people were on their knees puking out on to the floor. I was not as affected as much, being used to the discomfort of the magical travel. I had a feeling that Ares could have made it more comfortable but didn't do it so he could watch us suffer.

The said god was in front of us casually leaning against his bike as if he had all the time in the world.

"If you have finished puking, I can show you around and explain your test. The more time you waste here, the less time you have for your quest."

He took us all inside after Percy and Annabeth got cleaned up. The inside was not any better than the outside. I could see a few kids who couldn't be more than eight, wearing nothing but underwear and bodies soaked with oil, fighting each other. There was another who was doing push ups. When they saw us or more specifically Ares, they started fighting harder. If it was an attempt to gain the god's approval, it certainly didn't work. Ares gave no indication that he noticed them.

"This is the area for newbies. When any of my kids turn 7, they are brought here. They exercise regularly and fight each other. The strongest among them advance to the next level with better facilities and access to weapons while the weak die out. It's sad but that's life. After all, I can't have any of my kids being completely dependant on weapons ... or girlfriends.", Ares said taking a jab at Percy in the end.

I rolled my eyes at that comment. He seemed quite fixated on that point. I wondered what he was compensating for.

"But that's cruel.", Percy said outraged.

"It is the way of Sparta, kid. What do you think they should do then? Go to school? Tell me, Jackson, what are your grades at school?"

Seeing Percy's face turn red in embarrassment, he sneered.

"Nothing good enough to mention, eh? I thought so. My kids are warriors not scholars. They have no use for school work. Tell me, Jackson, who is the cruel one? Me for understanding that fact and training them in what they are good at or the foolish mortals for forcing their children to suffer through something they have no use for and would definitely fail in just so they could pretend to be normal."

I winced. Ares just called Sally a cruel woman. Percy was not going to take it well.

But I had to admit he made sense. I was a special case, true. But from what I have learned in the two weeks I spent at the camp, everyone hated going to school. The only thing it achieved was taking away what was left of their self esteem which was already low due to growing up knowing that they were bastard children. I could understand now why Clarisse and her siblings were so fiercely loyal to their father. Everyone knew the problems demigods had with school but he was the only one who cared to do anything about it. It seems Ares was a jerk who cared about his kids rather than a plain jerk.

It made me wonder why no one bothered to built schools and colleges having their curriculum in Greek for demigods. After all, Athena could have commissioned a city named after her that would have the best educational system in the world. I guess it was possible that she brought it up in a Council meeting and it ended up lost in politics. Athena would never have provided architects if she was not named its patron, Poseidon would have sunk the city if she was, Zeus would want a statue of his with a master bolt in hand tall enough to reach Olympus... The city was adjudged too small to fit their egos and the matter was closed.

I then wondered why the demigods had not built one on their own. After all, if the Romans could built a New Rome, why couldn't we built a New Athens. If the way Annabeth had jumped on to the seemingly suicidal quest was any indication, it was obvious that Athena children were bored out of their minds

"Just so you know, my immortal son, Mipostares is the one running the club and doing all the work including bringing the kids here. There is a self updating list of all my children and their addresses in his office for his reference. I merely visit him from time to time. So, no breaking ancient laws.", Ares said.

"Might of Ares" : I translated.

I wondered how the other gods would feel when they learn that the seemingly muscle brained god had found a way around the so called Ancient Laws while they couldn't or hadn't bothered to.

We moved on to the next section. It was as if we were in an entirely different location. Everything was clean and well maintained. On the right side was a well-equipped gym. While I didn't know much about the exercise equipment, I could tell they were all high quality. I could see many kids lifting weights and running on treadmill.

On the left side was a fully stocked armoury. It had all sorts of weapons ranging from the smallest, most ordinary dagger to swords and spears of different length and shape. There were some unconventional weapons like throwing blades and even the bladed discus-like thing that the god Krishna had in Indian mythology.

"Did Clarisse get her electric spear from here?", I asked.

"Nah. It was a special edition. Here, the kids will be taught to use all the weapons and any errors in techniques will be corrected. After that, they will be given extensive training in the three weapons they are the most compatible with. Then a lot of tests. The strongest among them will 'graduate' while others will keep working hard until they are good enough or die trying. The graduated ones will be 'found' by some satyr in a school and be taken to the camp. Naturally, they will be claimed by me the moment they enter the camp. The outgoing batch can take the weapon they are most compatible with as their own. As Clarisse was the best of her outgoing batch, she got a specially modified weapon handed over personally by me.", the War God replied.

That explained why Clarisse was so angry at her spear being broken. By the way he was shifting uncomfortably, I knew that Percy felt guilty about breaking it.

I was happy to see that atleast someone took pride in their children, even if that god was a perverted creep overall. His casual mention of death might seem harsh until you remember that most of the demigods die out ignorant of their heritage, untrained, weaponless, forgotten not understanding even in their dying breath what the heck was happening. Anyone who cannot survive after being trained here would not have survived in the real world anyway.

"A pity it was broken but it was nothing Heapheastus could not fix. I might mock him all the time and f**k his wife whenever I felt like it but my cripple of a brother has his uses.", he said grinning.

Ares just lost the few good points he had earned. True, from what I had heard, the Love Goddess was basically a public property, free for all. But, he could have shown a little decency by letting the poor guy have some dignity left.

I noticed a door to the right that was locked.

"That's the way to the arena. It's the only part open to the public. So, you should feel privileged that you are with me. The people arrive there at night to watch my children fighting each other or test their strength against one of mine. Some prefer death matches while others want classical gladiator style and I oblige them all. I am a generous guy. It is also used for tournaments.", the War God explained.

Just then a tall well built guy who looked a lot like Ares came towards us.

"The rooms are ready, my lord.", he said.

"Mipostares, lead the way."

They followed the guy who lead them through the hallway which had three doors at the end marked with what I assumed to be the starting letters of our names.

"Your test basically is to fight your opponent(s) in conditions where you are at a distinct disadvantage and win. It is meant to test your courage and determination. So, you will have to be alone to face your fears. You will learn more once you enter. Do you accept the test?"

We looked at each other and realized that all of us had the same thought in our minds.

We needed all the help we could get.

"We agree.", we said simultaneously.

"Good. And Jackson, take this.", Ares tossed a spear to him and bow and a quiver full of arrows to me, "Your sword won't work inside."

"Is there anything else you were going to tell us before we go?", I asked while testing out the bow and arrows.

I was quite eager to start using them against whoever my opponent was.

He made a thinking motion for a moment and then said, "No."

I then moved to the door marked with 'I' and entered it.

X-X-X-X-X

DarkPirateKing69 : Your review was insightful.

Iris is similar to canon Harry but not the same. I had modelled her based on the few glimpses we had of Artemis in PJO, someone who cares about everyone but not really an emotional person. I am not going to have her brand everything from Sun rising in the east to river flowing downstream as her fault. Iris behaved exactly as Artemis did in TTC. She acknowledged his bravery and did what she could to repay him but she was not going to waste her time crying in the middle of a road for a guy she didn't even know the name of when there was a runaway demigod to be found.

The scar itself is not important. That part was merely to show that while skilled she was still inexperienced and could make mistakes. Remember, they had to pass through the woods to get to the Big House. The scar would have already healed by then despite the size.

Actually, it was Engineer4Ever's story that made me feel like writing one. He brought forth many oft-used attributes and mixed them in his own way giving it his unique touch and brought out a wonderful story that is a joy to read.

Despite our same starting time, our stories go in completely different directions

oakphoenix : Why don't you guess?

Everyone else : Thank you for your reviews.

If you could assign actors/actresses to play the characters of my story, who would they be? I would be interested to hear your suggestions.


	10. A Grudge Match with a Creepy Relative

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 10 : The grudge match with a creepy relative

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

This chapter will be in Iris' Pov unless stated otherwise.

X-X-X-X-X

I entered what looked like a parody of my cabin at the camp. The door disappeared as soon as it closed behind me. I instantly felt weaker and more drained for some reason. The best way to describe the place was dreary and depressing. The air itself was stale and filled with the stench of decay. I could see many factories around me spewing out thick black smoke. The rivers were...there was less water and more radioactive waste. The ground was littered with all sorts of plastic and radioactive deposits. I could see the city line far away, tall, forboding buildings as dull and lifeless as everything else. I knew that it was day time but the pollutants had covered up the atmosphere blocking the sunlight giving the atmosphere a permanent dark grey tone. I wondered whether it was too late to quit.

"How do you like the future?"

I nearly jumped a few feet up in air on hearing the question from somewhere behind me. I was on high alert for the opponent but I still hadn't sensed her.

The woman was of average height, perhaps an inch taller than my mother. She had long dark hair down to her mid back and eyes dark enough that I could not tell whether it was green or blue. I felt wary when I noticed that she even looked very similar to my mother. There was something so sorrowful about her that even I felt sad and depressed just by being in her presence.

"Who are you?", I asked arrow positioned perfectly on the bow ready to be released.

The woman did not seem to care about the fact I could shoot an arrow at her anytime.

"I guess I am not that well known. I am Aura, the goddess of Breeze and Morning air. From the moment I have heard of you, I have been wanting to meet you."

"Why?", I asked.

I tried to remember anyone with such a name but I was unsuccessful. Perhaps, she was some minor goddess. Breeze was not such a big domain after all.

She smiled as if she was amused. I noticed that her smile seemed to intensify the sorrow and despair in the surroundings. I couldn't help but feel that there was something wrong with her, something unnatural.

"Your mother is my cousin. She is the child of Leto while I am the child of Lelantos. That makes us family, isn't it great?"

Despite the words, she didn't seem to exude any enthusiasm on having me as a family, something I reciprocated. I preferred the creepy titaness woman stay as far away as possible. I did notice that she was no fan of my mother. I wonder why.

"You know, Ares had initially intended on sending you three off to the water park to fetch his shield. I convinced him to change his plans to get you alone. It wasn't that difficult to manipulate him. I just had to mention the possibility of him being mistaken as an errand boy cowardly enough to hide behind children. I also suggested to show you all around his fight club and give each of you a test to 'prove your worth' so they will know that he is a tough War God. Men and their pride."

I tightened my grip on my bow when I saw her smirk. It was the same smirk of satisfaction I had after I manipulated someone to do my bidding. Who was she exactly? I have never heard of any Aura in any stories of Artemis. Was she some evil version of my mother? I hoped not.

"Now, I know why he seemed to emphasise that he was not an errand boy. So, you don't...like my mother?"

I winced. It seemed like the question Percy would ask. But, I was, for the first time, out of my depth there.

"No. We were rivals since childhood. I was the better hunter and archer while she was the one with the right ancestry. Artemis had always been jealous of my skills. She wanted me humiliated and she knew that the best way to do that was to take away something I had always prided myself on : my maiden hood. She had me drugged and had her half-brother Dionysus violate me while I was asleep, unable to defend myself. Seeing me walk around crying tears of shame was not enough for her. She followed me around mocking me and laughing at my misfortune. It was from her that I learned the name of my violator, the father of my children. It still wasn't enough for her. When it was time for me to give birth, she used her powers over that domain to delay the birth, made it as drawn out and painful as possible. Nikaia, who suffered the same fate as I at the hands of the same man, was sympathetic to my plight but could do nothing. When I recovered from the pain of the child birth, I learned that I had ended up killing one of my kids delirious in pain and the other was stolen by the heartless goddess. I knew that she was whispering sweet poison into his innocent ears telling tales of my cruelty so that the one solace I could have had in my misery would grow up hating me. Having lost everything, I left hiding in shadows and darkness too ashamed to show myself to the light of days until now.", Aura said.

For the first time, I wished I had heeded my mother's wish and stayed in the camp like a good girl. There were a few situations in which ignorance was truly bliss and the one I was in certainly counted as such. Aura reminded me of Tom Riddle's spirit : vile, treacherous and untrustworthy. But, from the emotions I could see on her face on hearing my mother's name and Dionysus', I knew that everything she said was true.

It was hard for me to believe that my mother actually condoned the rape of another maiden when she had been championing their cause for atleast more than a millennium. I then realised I had said the thought out loud.

"So young, so naive.", she cooed causing me to shudder, "It's difficult for people to believe that Zeus is actually the God of Justice. How many Ancient Laws had he broken blatantly just to kill you three? Lets not forget that he was the first one to break the oath on river Styx. God of Justice, what a joke. Athena is the goddess of Wisdom apparently. It took just an apple for her to play stripper for the mortal Paris. Not that Hera, the so called goddess of Marriage, was any better. Aphrodite might as well be the goddess of whores. As for Artemis, your existence is proof that she was not as pure as she liked to claim."

I decided the best thing to do at present was to keep her talking. She seemed more interested in that rather than killing me anyway. I had a feeling that fighting that fighting a Titaness was much different from fighting a monster. If I don't find a weakness I can take advantage of, I had no hope.

"How are you so sure she is not still a virgin? Athena is still a virgin.", I asked.

That was something I didn't understand. Athena had been having kids for a millennium or since Ancient Greece since the rumours about Odysseys are true. If another virgin goddess wanted to join in, what was the big deal?

"It is so sweet of you to try to protect your mother's non-existent honour.", she said condescendingly, "As no one had told you anything, I will explain. Athena is a special case. She was born through forehead and she has her young the same way. Artemis was born from a womb and that's the only way she can have children. It's the way of nature. You don't see a frog giving birth or a wolf laying eggs do you? You don't realise how special you are, child. You were powerful enough to break through the bindings your mother placed on you to hide you. Have you ever wondered how many were there before you that weren't?"

I opened my mouth and closed it back. I had nothing to say. It's not like I knew anything about my mother.

There was no proof that I was her first child either. I had simply assumed that I was the first, something I had always warned others from doing.

"Nothing to say? I thought so. It seems there is some justice in the world after all. The arrogant goddess probably thought being the daughter of the King of Gods, she could get away with her lies. But, the truth always comes out. Now, she is the one hiding away in shame with everyone knowing her true character while I walk with my head held high. But I do feel sorry for you though. You don't deserve the fate awaiting you.", she said.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance. I knew that game very well. She had laid the bait and she would wait for my curiosity to lure me into the trap. I had done that a lot of times myself. I knew I could not stand to not know something that concerned me and so did she.

"What fate?"

"I dared cause her ridicule by having better skills than her. I paid my price. You made her a laughing stock by your mere existence. What price would she make you pay, child?"

I was speechless. I would have liked to have said that she would do nothing like that to me but I didn't know that for sure myself. I would have looked like a weak, pathetic child who was trying to delude herself because she couldn't face the truth. The fact that my mother had a former maiden for a cousin whose rape she had arranged was news to me after all. I could not trust anyone.

"There is another option. You can rescind your mother and join us. You will be protected from her and will be given the opportunity to help in taking down the arrogant Olympians.", she said.

"Us? So, this is more than your revenge against Artemis?", I asked.

I purposefully used the goddess' name to make it look like I was distancing myself from my mother, something I was sure she would notice. If there was truth in what she had implied, I need to know how far it went.

"Iris, surely you didn't think I was the only one dissatisfied with the tyranny and double standards of the Olympians. Our master is a generous man who understands my pain and suffering for he had suffered a lot himself due to the power hungry Olympians. You are looking at the beginning of the revolution, my child. The journey to the beginning of a new order. Are you going to go down supporting the oppressors or are you going to fight for the oppressed and rise to power with us?", she replied.

She used my first name for the first time which meant she did notice it. That was interesting. I now had a huge decision in front of me. I had to admit the offer was tempting. Unlike a Zeus kid, I didn't want power just to convince myself of my superiority. I wanted to change the society for the better, improve people's lives. I have only seen the camp, that too for two weeks, but it was enough for me to see the stagnation and decay that came with having rulers who had grown complacent due to many millenia of being in power and cared more about sating their big egos and even bigger lust than the welfare of their subjects.

But, I was not foolish. I knew I would be a valuable asset to any side that had my loyalty. I had to be sure that I give it to the right leader.

"Who is the leader?"

"If you accept, I will take you directly to him."

I considered playing along to know who the master was but ultimately decided not to. The master had trained his servants well. By the time I get to know who the guy was, I might end up too deep in to get out.

So, I let my action do the talking, or to be more specific my arrow. The next thing I knew I was flying backwards. I hit the ground feeling as if someone had just smashed a hammer into my stomach. I saw her standing near my previous location hand extended palm outwards kungfu style.

"Wrong decision."

I groggily turned and spit out some blood. For someone so slim, the woman packed a lot of power. She was so fast that I didn't even see her.

I slowly got up and picked up the bow and quiver. Aura was quite content to let me get up at my own pace. She knew that I was no match for her.

"I don't know why Ares thought I would have trouble with you. You are too weak to be a bother to me. Then again, you inherited it from your mother."

I gave the one response I was quite familiar with. I ran away.

"Run away, my little prey. It only makes my ultimate victory sweeter.", I heard.

I hid behind a weird machine and analysed my options. I had no instinctive understanding of how to tackle the situation since she was not technically a monster. The poisonous atmosphere seemed to have cut off my powers from the Wild domain. She was faster and stronger than me. Fighting her directly would not be a good idea. Bow and Arrow, it was.

It wasn't long before I realised the error in my judgement. When she said she was better archer than my mother, she really meant it. She did things with a bow and arrow I never thought possible. True, I could bent the laws of physics slightly as I had seen in the camp but nothing like her. I did not know how to defend myself against arrows that seemed to curve sideways, downwards and at rare times even upwards. Either the magic of the place had given her a tremendous advantage or she was using her Breeze powers to control the path of the arrow. They even had a homing component to them so that they would continue to hound me until I struck it in the air. Luckily, her arrows were not poisoned and didn't strike any important part.

I decided after many cuts that hiding behind an obstacle was more of a hindrance to me rather than her. I healed all my cuts as well as I could somehow knowing that I could only use magic on myself. I then spoke the lengthy incantation for the body enhancement charm. It would improve all my physical attributes like strength, speed, reflexes, healing temporarily. I might suffer for it later but I felt it was more important to live to suffer it.

I then faced her my daggers out ready to pay her back. She stood there calmly taking out what looked like a Chinese hand fan. She flicked it out and I instinctively turned my head. I realised I was not fast enough when I felt blood fall down my cheeks and drip onto my shoulder. The fan let out a sharp wind blade that would have split my head into two had I not been fast enough.

"You have magically enhanced yourself. It seems you are not a complete waste of my time after all."

She then attacked. I could actually see her coming now, like the tides of a black sea. I dodged the first strike and I felt her talons slice through the air right in front of my nose. I dodged the swipe at my neck and realized that it was the only thing I could do. She was too fast for me to find an opening for counter attack. I evaded her until I found myself tiring. The spell was meant to be temporary after all.

I swung my dagger at her neck but she caught the blow. She twisted my arm forcing me to drop the dagger. She choked my neck with the other hand, lifted me up and slammed me hard against the ground. By the fact that my hands were empty, I knew that I had dropped the other dagger too. She then sliced through my chest with her sharp talons making me scream in pain. I could feel my blood soaking my shirt. I knew that even if she left me alone now I would die of blood loss.

"You still believe you have a chance to win. Your defiance is amusing. But you forget that I am Aura, the hunter of bears and lionesses not your mother who is too weak to hunt anything bigger than rabbits and deers."

"Not as amusing as your impending painful death.", I replied.

I then played my last card. I lit my lighter and blew into the fire. Aura might be as fast as the wind but she was too close to me to try to defend herself against my surprise attack. The infero blasted her far away from me. There was a reason Chimera was so feared. Its fiery breath was hot enough to fry gods or in the present case titanesses to crisp. True to the fact, I saw her burnt out husk nearby and sighed in relief.

It was then that something weird happened. A wind blew around me. The smoke from the chimneys changed directions and blew towards the remains of the Titaness and so did the polluted water from the rivers. I watched in a mix of fascination and horror as the body of the Titaness was reconstructed to its former glory. Aura got up looking like she had just tripped and fell on the ground.

"That hurt. It seems you do have a bite after all even if you are staying true to your ancestry. Not that it is going to do you much good. As you have seen, I am unbeatable in this room. You can use your toy as much as you want but I will keep coming back."

Suddenly I found myself flying forward to meet the unforgiving ground but the next moment I was flying back and landed near to my previous location. The next moment, Aura was crouching on top of my chest suffocating me with her weight.

"You know, you have your mother's beautiful green eyes.", she spoke as if she was merely having a casual conversation over tea, "The same eyes that mocked me and laughed at my plight. The same eyes that lit up with glee on seeing my pain. I will tear it out of your sockets and keep it as the spoils of my victory."

Her hands, her sharp taloned hands lunged at my face much faster than I could comprehend eager to claim its prize. Surprisingly, her hands were stopped by mine. It was as if my hands had a mind of their own. My hands were glowing silver and it soon spread out to my whole body and I suddenly remembered that there was still one power I still had beside me : the power of the moon. She was frantically trying to pry her arms from my hold as if my very touch pained her, hurt her. I let go of her hands and let out a flare of my power throwing her back a few feet.

I then got up feeling power coursing through me. My wounds healed, my broken bones went back to their original alignments and mended, muscles stitched together, I was back to full health. My whole body was glowing silver and so were my eyes. I knew I was not just a demigod anymore. I was much more powerful, much more ancient.

I saw her run at me. She didn't seem so fast anymore. I waited for her to get close enough. I bend my knee enough to evade her talons and punched her stomach letting her own momentum cause the most damage. I used her moment of disorientation to get behind her and smashed my fist at the back of her head. She fell on the ground face down.

Seeing Aura staring at me in shock, I smirked, " You have been beating up a barely trained demigod asking for a proper fight. Perhaps, you should have approached someone of your power level."

She screeched angrily and charged at me. I easily dodged all of her attacks. It seemed she was so used to facing weaker opponents she could overwhelm with a power-speed combo that she had no idea what to do against an opponent who was stronger and faster than her. It was only a matter of time before her anger and frustration caused her to make a mistake. She over extended her arm slightly and the next moment she was face down on the floor with me stretching her hands behind her. With a pull, I tore apart her shoulder joints causing her to scream in pain.

"The payback is a bitch, isn't she?", I asked.

I noticed a black cloud getting absorbed into her shoulder healing the joints. The War God really wanted me dead. I was going to have to disappoint him then.

Aura slashed the air with her hand fan but I slapped the wind blade away as if it was a mere fly.

"If you think a mere demigod like you could defeat me, a Titaness, you are delusional and I would enjoy proving your delusions wrong.", she screeched.

She then started to glow. The glow soon covered her entire body and soon I was seeing her true form.

It was so ugly and repulsive that I was surprised I didn't fall dead from horror. She soon returned to her previous form and seemed surprised to see me alive.

"How are you still alive? No mortal can survive looking at a god's true form.", she asked shocked.

"Perhaps, I am no ordinary mortal."

"It doesn't matter. If I die, I will reform the next moment but for you death is permanent. I would just have to fight you until you are tired and kill you.", Aura replied.

I concentrated and I could feel the magical enchantments restricting my powers. It was my magic that was used to power the enchantments, atleast partly. Interesting.

"We will have to fix that won't we?"

I instinctively knew what to do. I didn't try to control my emotions that time. I let go and unleashed my wrath on the system for daring to restrict me. I started glowing brighter and brighter until my powers exploded out of me like a supernova.

**I realised that I was sitting on a reclining chair. I could see the giant blue sphere I knew was Earth surrounded by the black emptiness of outer space. From the way ground around me seemed to glow silver, I had a suspicion about my present location. That was weird. The last I remember I was in America. **

**"Earth is quite beautiful, isn't it?"**

**I turned to see a woman sitting on another reclining chair next to me. Everything about her was silver, her hair, her eyes, the chiton she wore, the bull horns on her head and even the reclining chair she was lounging on. I should have been wary but for some reason I knew I could trust her.**

**"Who are you?", I asked. **

**"Why don't you take a guess?"**

**From her appearance, only one name came to my mind : my mother's predecessor Selene. I told her that which made her amused for some reason. She then changed her appearance. Her eyes turned amber and her nose and mouth morphed into a beak. Her face shifted slightly, her hair altered to fit her new face and I was soon looking at...**

**"Hedwig"**

**I looked at her in shock but on thinking about it I realised that I should not have been. Hedwig had generated a lot of interest among my dorm mates as no one else had an owl like that. Then there was the fact she was way too intelligent for an owl, even a magical one. I would have assumed that it was the result of my godly heritage inducing hers, Athena's symbol and all that, but Hedwig never got on well with her children. Then there was one thing I had never thought much of before. Hedwig had always glowed when under the moonlight. **

**"It is a beautiful name and I loved it. But to be honest, I am the moon spirit. As you know, there are many deities associated with moon : Selene and Artemis for Greeks becomes Luna and Diana for Romans, then there is Mani for the Norse but we will keep to what is relevant for now. The point is that I could take their appearances and their personalities but I felt Selene was the perfect person to ease you into it.", she replied after shifting back to her previous appearance. **

**"Ease me into what?", I asked. **

**"Heiress of the Moon is not just an empty title, you know. There are many powers and responsibilities that come with it but you don't need to worry about that until you become an adult at 16. It is at that time you will be physically developed enough to be able to ascend without dying in the attempt. It's still dangerous to do it but the risk is much lesser.", she replied with a calming smile on her face.**

**"What about my mother? Wasn't she the moon goddess?"**

**"No. She was merely a guardian. If she had been the heiress, her appearance and personality would have changed accordingly. Instead the only change was the colour of her eyes to indicate her new status and slight increase in power. A few powers like night vision, power boost at night were given to your mother and her Hunters as compensation for the duty. Apollo, on the other hand, was my brother's heir. Your uncle originally looked like a mini-Zeus with black hair and stormy grey eyes and acted that way too most of the time. After the merging, he took on my brother's appearance and his immature, fun loving personality. The last thing my brother did was manipulate the Mist to make the mortals believe that Apollo had always been that way though his Roman side kept some of his original personality."**

**It was interesting. I wondered how I would change after ascending. Then again, I am not that different from Selene, if the moon spirit is anything to go by. But then something occured to me. **

**"But won't I need 2/3 majority votes of the Council to ascend?"**

**"Usually, yes but this is a loophole. It is rare for a god to fade away and much rarer to leave their domains for a mortal to inherit. So, even if you don't need their permission, they will want to be there when you ascend to ensure that the transition goes smoothly.", she said. **

**"So, is it already decided or do I have to give permission or something?"**

**"Well, you could postpone it for a few months but it won't be wise to try for much longer. I am not sure what would happen. This is new territory after all. I think it is like puberty or old age for mortals. You can delay it but the only way to prevent it is by dying before it happens."**

**I nodded having already suspected something like that. I didn't know what to think. Travelling around the world every night observing everything from above sounded good to me but there was the fact that I would have to leave my friends. I decided not to worry about it at the moment. **

**"Do you know everything the original Selene knows?"**

**"Not everything but I know all necessary information. If you want to know about Aura, I will tell you."**

**"Was she telling the truth?", I asked. **

**She smiled, "Truth is a relative quantity, my child. Aura told you what she believed to be the truth omitting the facts that showed her in poor light. Aura and Artemis had a rivalry similar to our Gryffindor and Slytherin. Aura favoured the qualities of the former challenging powerful animals like bears and lionesses to fight and wrestling them to death while Artemis favoured the latter using stealth and cunning to capture swift animals like rabbits and deer. The former naturally believed the latter to be weak and cowardly for limiting herself to small animals and cheating her way to win while the latter believed the former to be uncultured and unable to understand the true meaning of the hunt. Soon, Aura, in the heat of the moment, told your mother that she was too feminine and weak willed to be truly a virgin."**

**I cringed. I would have gutted her for such an insult and I was not even a virgin goddess. **

**"Yes. She should have known that Artemis, who was as proud of her virginity as she herself was, would not take the insult lying down but Aura was a typical Gryffindor, atleast then. Artemis went to Nemesis, Goddess of Justice and Retribution, and asked her to punish Aura. Nemesis replied that she cannot punish her herself but promised Artemis that she would soon find Aura weeping for her lost maiden hood. Everything else Aura told you was correct until the birth. Aura left the children in a lioness' den hoping that they would be eaten but your mother protected them. Angered by it, Aura tore apart her first child and ate him but your mother managed to save the other child. Aura disappeared after that and has been seen till now. Perhaps, the incident reminded her of her stepmother Hera. Artemis, guilt stricken for her role in the mess, took personal responsibility for the boy Iakkhos' upbringing as a penance until he grew up and decided to join Demeter as one of her servants. It was a dark chapter in your mother's life she prefers not to be reminded of but it was crucial in shaping her into the person she is today. It was what led to Artemis officially taking on the role of 'The Protector of Maidens' and eventually to the group known as the Hunters of Artemis."**

**She was right. It gave me an insight into what Artemis as a person was like rather than the public figure. I now knew that my ruthlessness and vengeful streak were not completely the product of my upbringing. **

**"So, who is the new master she was talking about?"**

**Her smile dimmed.**

**"I don't know for certain but I have my guesses. I hope I am wrong."**

**Seeing me waiting for an explanation, she sighed.**

**"My brothers, Helios and Eos, and I were born Titans, the children of Hyperion and Theia. The situation of the world then was not good. We had a power hungry tryrant for a King who was so paranoid of someone overthrowing him by destroying his throne that he kept his throne at Mt. Etna far away from the headquarters Mt. Othyrs. He was so powerful that not many dared to go against him. Any riots that happened were quickly and ruthlessly put down and the transgressors ended up under the care of Kampe. Then came the war with the beings you know as the Elder Gods. We stayed neutral in the initial years but when we saw them still going strong with number of allies increasing with time, we placed our hope with them. In the seventh year of the war, when many of us started to feel that Kronos was simply too powerful to defeat, Zeus put forth a bold plan : a full on assault on his throne. Due to Kronos' paranoia, we did not have to deal with any Titans. There were lots of monsters defending the place but it was not beyond us. As you know, Zeus used his then new master bolt to shear the top of Mt. Etna throwing the Titan Lord and his useless throne to the ground. It was not the end of war but it marked the beginning of the end. After the war, the Titans like us who fought for them were allowed to keep their domains and were given influential positions in the new regime. Some even got more domains. Hecate, for example, was given Crossroads domain and the permission to travel freely in all the domains of the Big Three. I am hoping that he is not returning but I have to admit it is a little suspicious that a Heiress to the Moon popped out now of all times."**

**"A war of that scale is bad but it is not hopeless, is it? Gods have won when Kronos was all powerful and his influence reached everywhere. They can win again now that the situation is reversed."**

**"You believe that being in power gives you an advantage which is true in some cases but not all. Gods are not as powerful as they used to be. The loss of majority of mortal prayers and sacrifices and the split into Greek and Roman aspects had made them much weaker. Having demigods to solve their problems left their fighting skills rusty at best and non existent at worst. Many old allies had faded away as you know. Many others are disgruntled with the present rule and would jump to the other side when Kronos comes into open or had already done so if what Aura implied is true. Even the main gods who led the war effort last time are too busy fighting each other. Zeus and Poseidon are already at war for all purposes and Hades had been an outcast for so long that he might join his father when a good enough offer comes up."**

**"You are right. The situation is hopeless.", I replied glumly. **

**"I wouldn't say hopeless. Just an extremely steep path with a lot of potholes."**

**"While our talk was enlightening, why did you pull me here now rather than when I was asleep?", I asked. **

**"A mortal body is not designed to channel the power of a god. A demigod has higher limits while you, who has received the magical gifts from two beings that had different types of immortality has even higher limits. But, the power you used was beyond even your body's endurance. Luckily, when you overloaded the system, you caused the polarities to reverse. Now, as long as there is some life in you, the room will heal you back to full strength quickly but not painlessly." **

**"When you say pain-"**

**"You will scream loudly enough that your friends at Camp Half Blood will hear you."**

**"Ok. I believe you."**

**"It is time for you to go back. You are physically back to full health. Just know that I won't be able to bring you back here."**

**She didn't mention that it would be the last time we would see each other. That meant I would have to learn to bring myself here wherever it was.**

**"It is all happening in my mind, right?", I asked. **

**"To risk sounding like your nutty headmaster, just because it is in your mind does not make it any less real."**

**I rolled my eyes at her and decided to learn the Occlumency thing the Headmaster mentioned while my surroundings were fading away.**

I woke up and spit out grass. Grass. It seemed she was right. I was in the woods. I looked around for my opponent and saw something moving. I realised that it was what was left of Aura after my supernova attack. She was still alive and was not recovering.

"Do not think you have won, daughter of Artemis. My servants will recognise you the moment you come within their range. They will hunt you down. They will have your soul.", she rasped out.

"If they are anything like you, I will hunt them down and destroy them. You just made my job easier.", I replied.

I noticed that all of my spoils of victory had returned to me. It seemed whatever magic that prevented it from happening was malfunctioning. I was wondering which one to use to end the menace when I noticed it. I took the hand fan that was lying nearby and smirked.

"Killed by your own weapon, nasty cousin? I am sure that is a new low for you."

I slashed the fan and her head rolled away. Her dead body soon transformed into a golden liquid and seeped through the ground. Well, you learn something new everyday. I wonder who Percy got as his opponent. Oceanus? Hyperion?

I heard the door opening and I slashed my new weapon in that direction. I turned around to see Ares looking in shock at the door slashed diagonally into two pieces. Damn! Had he not moved, it would have been him slashed into two pieces. Then I could have passed it off as an accident.

"I am sorry. I thought it was the crazy woman coming back to life."

The only thing I am sorry about is that I couldn't kill you in my first attempt, I thought.

If he heard my apology, he gave no indication of it. He was too busy staring at me and the surroundings alternatively.

"Are Percy and Annabeth alright?"

That brought him to focus. He then gave me some kind of creepy smile showing his shiny teeth. I had a feeling that he was trying to emulate uncle Apollo...and was failing.

"All three of you passed my test and have proven yourselves worthy as warriors. I have already given the reward to the daughter of Athena."

I noticed that he seemed unnerved by my presence. The woods soon faded away and the next thing I knew we were standing in the diner parking lot with Percy and Annabeth. They looked exhausted but quite relieved too. I did notice that Annabeth had a blue nylon bag on her shoulders. So that is the help the War God was giving us. I would have to check it out just in case.

"See that truck over there?", He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner.

"That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back : KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

Percy said, "You're kidding."

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched.

"Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining."

I looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served us dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt us. She dragged the fry cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera and snapped a picture of us. I had the good sense to turn my head the other way.

It seemed Percy would be making the papers again tomorrow.

I imagined the headline: TWELVE-YEAR-OLD OUTLAW BEATS UP DEFENSELESS BIKER.

Despite the situation, I felt a satisfied smile creep up on my smile as I imagined Ares lying groggily on the ground, arms and legs broken, bruises all over his body.

"You owe me one more thing,", Percy told Ares, "You promised me information

about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?"

He kick started his motorcycle.

"She's not dead."

I noticed that Ares was in some kind of hurry, like he was quite eager to wash his hands off us.

"What do you mean?", Percy asked.

"If she was killed, her mutilated corpse would have been sent to you or your father as a message. As neither have happened yet, it means she is being kept alive.", Ares replied.

"Kept. Why?"

"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."

"Nobody's controlling me."

He laughed.

"Oh yeah? See you around, kid."

He then revved his Harley and roared off down Delancy Street.

"Guys", Annabeth said pointing towards the diner.

At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck.

"If we're taking the zoo express", I said, "we need to hurry."

I didn't like it, but we had no better option. Besides, I'd seen enough of Denver.

We ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind us.

It was when I saw the sight in front of me that I realised exactly why the War God was in a hurry to leave.

X-X-X-X-X

DarkPirateKing69 :

I am a guy. So, I have no personal experience but I have heard that girls mature earlier than boys physically, mentally, emotionally. They might start being conscious of their private parts as early as 10 years old.

It is implied in PJO that Annabeth is quite well developed, perhaps much more than a girl her age, if you can read between the lines. That is the most RR could do as the book was read by children too.

Talsbreath :

I personally prefer 3rd person pov too as it gives me greater freedom to show different sides to the same incident but I have received many reviews stating that they have difficulty understanding who is the 'she' or 'he'. There is no point in writing if the readers don't understand it.

**Actors/Actresses for characters**

**Aura : Eva Green**


	11. We travel by the Zoo Express

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 11 : We travel by the Zoo Express

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

This chapter will be in Percy's Pov unless stated otherwise.

X-X-X-X-X

We were waiting in the diner parking lot when Ares suddenly appeared with Iris.

"See that truck over there?"

He pointed to an eighteen-wheeler parked across the street from the diner.

"That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

The eighteen-wheeler had a sign on the back, which I could read only because it was reverse-printed white on black, a good combination for dyslexia: KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL: HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT. WARNING: LIVE WILD ANIMALS.

I said, "You're kidding."

Ares snapped his fingers. The back door of the truck unlatched.

"Free ride west, punk. Stop complaining."

I looked back at the diner, which had only a couple of customers now. The waitress who'd served us dinner was watching nervously out the window, like she was afraid Ares might hurt us. She dragged the fry cook out from the kitchen to see. She said something to him. He nodded, held up a little disposable camera and snapped a picture of us.

Great, I thought. We'll make the papers again tomorrow.

I imagined the headline: TWELVE-YEAR-OLD OUTLAW BEATS UP DEFENSELESS BIKER.

"You owe me one more thing.", I told Ares, trying to keep my voice level, "You promised me information about my mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?"

He kick started his motorcycle.

"She's not dead."

The ground seemed to spin beneath me.

"What do you mean?"

"If she was killed, her mutilated corpse would have been sent to you or your father as a message. As neither have happened yet, it means she is being kept alive.", Ares replied.

"Kept. Why?"

"You need to study war, punk. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."

"Nobody's controlling me."

He laughed.

"Oh yeah? See you around, kid."

He then revved his Harley and roared off down Delancy Street.

"Guys", Annabeth said pointing towards the diner.

At the register, the last two customers were paying their check, two men in identical black coveralls, with a white logo on their backs that matched the one on the KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL truck.

"If we're taking the zoo express", Iris said, "we need to hurry."

I didn't like it, but we had no better option. Besides, I'd seen enough of Denver.

We ran across the street and climbed in the back of the big rig, closing the doors behind us.

The trailer was dark inside until I uncapped Anaklusmos. I almost took a step back on seeing the dark expression on her face until I realised that it was not aimed at me.

The blade cast a faint bronze light over a very sad scene. Sitting in a row of filthy metal cages were three of the most pathetic zoo animals I'd ever beheld: a zebra, a male albino lion, and some weird antelope thing I didn't know the name for.

Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, which he obviously didn't want to eat. The zebra and the antelope had each gotten a Styrofoam tray of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, like somebody had been spitting on it in their spare time. The antelope had a stupid silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read OVER THE HILL!

Apparently, nobody had wanted to get close enough to the lion to mess with him, but the poor thing was pacing around on soiled blankets, in a space way too small for him, panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer. He had flies buzzing around his pink eyes and his ribs showed through his white fur.

"This is kindness?", Iris screeched, "Humane zoo transport?"

She probably would've gone right back outside to torture the truckers and I would have gladly helped her, but just then the trucks engine roared to life, the trailer started shaking, and we were forced to sit down or fall down.

Iris took out her wand and switched the foods around with her magic. She cleaned up the zebra and cut off the balloon from the antelope's horn. While I was filling their bowls with water, Iris dried up the soiled blanket and blew a gentle wind at them using a Chinese hand fan I never knew she had.

"I am sorry guys. That is the most I can do now. When the truck stops at Vegas, the scumbags who put you here will face the wrath of the Wild. That's my word.", Iris said.

Iris sat on a turnip sack in some kind of meditation pose; Annabeth opened our bag of Double Stuff Oreos and nibbled on one halfheartedly; I tried to cheer myself up by concentrating on the fact that we were halfway to Los Angeles.

Halfway to our destination. It was only June fourteenth. The solstice wasn't until the twenty-first. We could make it in plenty of time.

On the other hand, I had no idea what to expect next. The gods kept toying with me. I had a feeling my quest was being watched. I was a source of amusement for the gods. Ares, atleast, was honest about it.

"Percy, Annie, what tasks did you get?", Iris asked.

"I had to fight 3 Ares kids back to back at noon time in the middle of a desert with the spear Ares gave me. It wasn't that bad, I guess. The kids were not that advanced and the spear Ares gave me was a good match for me. I guess, being the War God, he had a way of knowing things like that. The guy who was supervising it was quite nice and helpful for an Ares kid. He gave me a basic course and said that as my father's symbol of power is a three pronged spear, I will master it very quickly.", I replied.

"Yes, Ares kids are the best at finding a suitable weapon for someone but they are not exactly the helpful kind. Anyway, I had to navigate a maze and take the prize placed at the center avoiding all the spiders in the maze.", she said shuddering, "There were a lot of spiders, some of them were small mechanical spiders while the others were giant spiders of various sizes. Ares said they were Acromantulas brought from your magical society, Iris. It was a good thing you told me to put on Luke's flying shoes. I would never have succeeded without it. The prize was the bag which contained the help he was giving us. He told me that as I had never done much fighting in the quest, he gave me a more crucial role."

"What? You all got easy tasks while he set me up with a Titaness. The woman was a nutjob but a very tough nutjob. I barely survived. What's Ares playing at?", Iris spoke.

"You beat a Titaness? Wow! Who was it?", Annabeth asked shocked.

I guess I was too. I knew she was tough. She defeated monsters like Python, Chimera and many others. But, a Titaness was on an entirely different level.

"Aura, the goddess of Breeze and my mother's cousin."

"I don't remember reading about her."

"I don't think anyone considered it important enough to put it in a book. Artemis had never had a child before. Basically, she was a former maiden hunter who questioned my mother's virtue. Artemis naturally complained about it to Nemesis who decided that someone with such disrespect towards maiden hood should not remain one. Long story short. She was drugged and raped by our Mr. D. She had twins one of which she succeeded in killing and the other was saved by my mother. She blamed my mother for everything and wanted revenge. Aura was a nutcase anyway. She could have killed me easily but she wasted time boasting and learned the hard way that Chimera fire could fry a Titaness too.", Iris said.

"Arrgghh! Why do you both always get all the spoils of war?", Annabeth asked.

"We will let you deal with the next monster and sit back to enjoy the show if that's what you want.", I replied.

"Annie, why do you call them the spoils of war anyway? As far as I know, Ares has no power over them. It's Nike's domain. Shouldn't we call them spoils of victory?", Iris asked.

Annabeth looked thoughtful for a moment and sighed.

"Both are used but the former is the more popular term. Now that I think about it, it's kinda disrespectful to the Goddess of Victory."

She pulled apart an Oreo, split it for the three of us.

"In the Iris message ... did Luke really say nothing?", Annabeth asked me.

I munched my cookie and thought about how to answer. The conversation via rainbow had bothered me all evening.

"Luke said you and he go way back. Both of you were part of Grover's first assignment, weren't you? "

Annabeth put down her Oreo, uneaten.

"Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me toward help. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They'd both run

away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were ... amazing monster-fighters, even without training. We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monsters for about two weeks before Grover found us.

Grover was supposed to escort Thalia to camp. Only Thalia. He had strict orders from

Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. They knew Hades was after her but Grover had always had a big heart. He couldn't just leave Luke and I by ourselves. He believed he could lead all three of us to safety. Things didn't happen as well as we hoped and the Kindly Ones soon caught up with us. Thalia chose to sacrifice her life so that we would have enough time to get to the camp."

Iris gave her a one armed hug and beckoned me closer. I got the message and hugged her from the other side. We shared a three way hug for a moment and then split up.

"Thanks guys. I appreciate it.", Annabeth said.

We rode in silence for a few miles, bumping around on the feed sacks. The zebra munched a turnip. The lion licked the last of the hamburger meat off his lips and looked at me hopefully.

Annabeth rubbed her necklace like she was thinking deep, strategic thoughts.

"That pine-tree bead", I said, "Is that from your first year?"

She looked at it. She hadn't realized what she was doing.

"Yeah.", she said, "Every August, the counselors pick the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress—now that was a weird summer..."

"And the college ring is your father's?"

"That's none of your—", She stopped herself, "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"You don't have to tell me."

"No ... it's okay.", She took a shaky breath, "My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her... That's a long story. Anyway, he said he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him."

"That doesn't sound so bad."

"Yeah, well... the problem was, I believed him. I tried to go home for that school year, but my stepmom was the same as ever. She didn't want her kids put in danger by living with a freak. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn't even make it through winter break. I called Chiron and came right back to Camp Half-Blood."

"You think you'll ever try living with your dad again?"

She wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Please. I'm not into self-inflicted pain."

"You shouldn't give up.", I told her, "You should write him a letter or something."

"Thanks for the advice.", she said coldly, "but my father's made his choice about who he wants to live with."

"Annie", Iris said in a soft yet reprimanding tone, "I would not presume to know your family enough to advise you but I will be honest, brutally honest. Perhaps, you should try the middle path. Keep in touch with them but don't stay with them. You have been independent for too long to accept their authority or try to act like a normal family."

"I will consider that.", Annabeth replied.

For some reason, I had the feeling that something important happened and I missed it.

We passed another few miles of silence.

"So if the gods fight", I said, "will things line up the way they did with the Trojan War? Will it be Athena versus Poseidon?"

She put her head against the backpack Ares had given us, and closed her eyes. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."

"Why?"

"Friends forever, Seaweed Brain, remember.", Iris replied whacking my head.

"That's a better response than what I had in mind.", Annabeth spoke amusement colouring her tone.

I couldn't think of an answer for that. Fortunately I didn't have to. Annabeth was asleep.

I had trouble following her example, with Iris telling the antelope something while stroking its fur and the albino lion staring at me hungrily but eventually I closed my eyes.

**My nightmare started out as something I'd dreamed a million times before: I was being forced to take a standardized test while wearing a straitjacket.**

**All the other kids were going out to recess, and the teacher kept saying, Come on, Percy. You're not stupid, are you? Pick up your pencil.**

**Then the dream strayed from the usual.**

**I looked over at the next desk and saw a girl sitting there, also wearing a straitjacket. She was my age, with unruly black, punk-style hair, dark eyeliner around her stormy grey eyes, and freckles across her nose.**

**Somehow, I knew who she was. She was Thalia, daughter of Zeus.**

**She struggled against the straitjacket, glared at me in frustration, and snapped, Well, Seaweed Brain? One of us has to get out of here.**

**She's right, my dream-self thought, I'm going back to that cavern. I'm going to give Hades a piece of my mind.**

**The straitjacket melted off me. I fell through the class room floor. The teacher's voice changed until it was cold and evil, echoing from the depths of a great chasm.**

**A wave of dread settled over the room.**

**Percy Jackson, it said. Yes, the exchange went well, I see.**

**I was back in the dark cavern, spirits of the dead drifting around me. Unseen in the pit, the monstrous thing was speaking, but this time it wasn't addressing me. The numbing power of its voice seemed directed somewhere else.**

**And he suspects nothing? it asked.**

**Another voice, one I almost recognized, answered at my shoulder. Nothing, my lord. He is as ignorant as the rest.**

**I looked over, but no one was there. The speaker was invisible.**

**Deception upon deception, the thing in the pit mused aloud. Excellent.**

**Truly, my lord, said the voice next to me, you are well-named the Crooked One.**

**But was it really necessary? I could have brought you what I stole directly —**

**You? the monster said in scorn. You have already shown your limits. You would have failed me completely had I not intervened.**

**But, my lord—**

**Peace, little servant. Our six months have bought us much. Zeus's anger has grown. His daughter's dirty little secret has been exposed. Poseidon has played his most desperate card. Now we shall use it against him. Shortly you shall have the reward you wish, and your revenge. As soon as both items are delivered into my hands**

**... but wait. He is here.**

**What? The invisible servant suddenly sounded tense. You summoned him, my lord?**

**No. The full force of the monsters attention was now pouring over me, freezing me in place.**

**Blast his father's blood-he is too changeable, too unpredictable. The boy brought himself hither.**

**Impossible! the servant cried.**

**For a weakling such as you, perhaps, the voice snarled. Then it's cold power turned back on me. So...you wish to dream of your quest, young half-blood? Then I will oblige.**

**The scene changed.**

**I was standing in a vast throne room with black marble walls and bronze floors.**

**The empty, horrid throne was made from human bones fused together.**

**Standing at the foot of the dais was my mother, knocked out, her arms outstretched.**

**I tried to step toward her, but my legs wouldn't move. I reached for her, only to realize that my hands were withering to bones. Grinning skeletons in Greek armor crowded around me, draping me with silk robes, wreathing my head with laurels that smoked with Chimera poison, burning into my scalp.**

**The evil voice began to laugh. Hail, the conquering hero!**

I woke with a start.

Iris was shaking my shoulder.

"The trucks stopped.", she said, "We think they're coming to check on the animals."

"Hide!", Annabeth hissed.

Annabeth put on her hat and disappeared while we hid under the magic Cloak.

The trailer doors creaked open. Sunlight and heat poured in.

We slowly sneaked off to the open door way ready to get out.

"Man!", one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose, "I wish I hauled appliances."

He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into the animals' dishes.

"You hot, big boy?", he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face.

The lion roared in indignation. Iris had balled up her fist resisting the urge to go there and tear him apart with her bare hands.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.", the man said.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra.

"How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

It was then that it happened. The door of the lion's cage opened on its own startling the trucker. Iris had had enough and wanted to see blood. By the time the trucker turned his head in that direction, the lion had already jumped on top of him thousand pounds weight pinning him down. It tore through the chest and started eating the flesh and internal organs quite eagerly giving us a good view of what was inside. I came out of the Cloak not caring whether the lion would notice me or not and vomited on to the side. I heard retching and knew that I was not the only one. Seeing Iris gleefully watching the spectacle, I knew it was Annabeth.

Then, Iris suddenly told the lion to stay silent and hide in a corner. I soon realised why when I heard the other trucker coming.

Annabeth gave her cap to Iris and said, "We will take the Cloak and move out. You can stand here and watch."

We went outside passing by the soon-to-be-deceased guy. We stood there pretending not to hear the sudden scream of terror and the subsequent sounds of flesh being torn apart from the body.

We didn't know how long we just stood there but soon enough we saw Iris approaching us with the lion on her right and zebra and antelope on my left. We did our best not to look at the blood caked on its face and paws.

"Remember what I told you, gentlemen. Go on, children, make me proud."

The animals started leaving but the zebra turned and looked back at me for a moment.

There was no sound, but as clear as day, I heard it say: Farewell, my lord.

The zebra ran away along with the others as if nothing had happened.

Some tourists screamed. Most just backed off and took pictures, probably thinking it was some kind of stunt by one of the casinos.

"Will the animals be okay?", I asked Iris, "I mean, the desert and all—"

"Don't worry.", she said, "I gave them a blessing. Meaning they'll reach the wild safely. They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live. Usually, only my mother had the authority to do that and I would have had to pray to her but with my mother disconnected, it is one of the few of her powers I have authority over."

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?", I asked.

"It only works on wild animals."

"So it would only affect Percy.", Annabeth reasoned.

"Hey!", I protested.

"Kidding.", she said.

"Come on. Let's get out of this filthy truck."

We stumbled out into the desert afternoon. It was a hundred and ten degrees, easy, and we must've looked like deep-fried vagrants, but everybody was too interested in the wild animals to pay us much attention.

We passed the Monte Carlo and the MGM. We passed pyramids, a pirate ship, and the Statue of Liberty, which was a pretty small replica, but still made me homesick.

I wasn't sure what we were looking for. Maybe just a place to get out of the heat for a few minutes, find a sandwich and a glass of lemonade, make a new plan for getting west.

We must have taken a wrong turn, because we found ourselves at a dead end, standing in front of the Lotus Hotel and Casino.

The entrance was a huge neon flower, the petals lighting up and blinking. No one was going in or out, but the glittering chrome doors were open, spilling out air-conditioning that smelled like flowers-lotus blossom, maybe. I'd never smelled one, so I wasn't sure.

The doorman smiled at us. "Hey, kids. You look tired. You want to come in and sit down?"

I'd learned to be suspicious, the last week or so. I figured anybody might be a monster or a god. You just couldn't tell. But this guy was normal. One look at him, and I could see. Besides, I was so relieved to hear somebody who sounded sympathetic that I nodded and said we'd love to come in.

Inside, we took one look around, and Iris said, "Whoa."

The whole lobby was a giant game room. And I'm not talking about cheesy old Pac-Man games or slot machines. There was an indoor waterslide snaking around the glass elevator, which went straight up at least forty floors. There was a climbing wall on the side of one building, and an indoor bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working laser guns. And hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. Basically, you name it, this place had it . There were a few other kids playing, but not that many. No waiting for any of the games. There were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food you can imagine.

"Hey!" a bellhop said. At least I guessed he was a bellhop. He wore a white-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt with lotus designs, shorts, and flip-flops.

"Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

I stammered, "Um, but..."

"No, no", he said, laughing, "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4001. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your Lotus Cash cards. They work in the restaurants and on all the games and rides."

He handed us each a green plastic credit card.

I knew there must be some mistake. Obviously he thought we were some millionaire's kids. But I took the card and said, "How much is on here?"

His eyebrows knit together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?"

He laughed.

"Oh, you're making a joke. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

We took the elevator upstairs and checked out our room. It was a suite with three separate bedrooms and a bar stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. A hotline to room service. Fluffy towels and water beds with feather pillows. A big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had its own hot tub, and sure enough, there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, so you could launch clay pigeons right out over the Las Vegas skyline and plug them with your gun. I didn't see how that could be legal, but I thought it was pretty cool. The view over the Strip and the desert was amazing, though I doubted we'd ever find time to look at the view with a room like this.

"Oh, goodness," Annabeth said. "This place is ..."

"Awesome."

There were clothes in the closet, and they fit me. I frowned, thinking that this was a little strange.

I took a shower, which felt awesome after a week of having to make do with the magic spell. I changed clothes, ate a bag of chips, drank three Cokes, and came out feeling better than I had in a long time. In the back of my mind, some small problem kept nagging me. I'd had a dream or something ... I needed to talk to my friends. But I was sure it could wait.

I came out of the bedroom and found that Annabeth and Iris had also showered and changed clothes.

Iris was eating potato chips to her heart's content, while Annabeth cranked up the Star Movies.

"Come on, Annie. I am sure there is something good on Animal Planet or National Geographical Channel.", Iris spoke.

"It wouldn't be that good after the live show you just gave us.", Annabeth replied shuddering.

I shuddered too. On thinking about it, I was glad that she was not my enemy.

"So what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

Iris and I looked at each other and grinned. We both held up our green plastic Lotus Cash cards.

"Play time," I said.

I couldn't remember the last time I had so much fun. I came from a relatively poor family. Our idea of a splurge was eating out at Burger King and renting a video. A five-star Vegas hotel? Forget it.

I bungee-jumped the lobby five or six times, did the waterslide, snowboarded the artificial ski slope, and played virtual-reality laser tag and FBI sharpshooter. I saw Iris a few times, going from game to game. She really liked the hunter thing.

I saw Annabeth playing trivia games and other brainiac stuff. They had this huge 3-D Sim game where you build your own city, and you could actually see the holographic buildings rise on the display board. I didn't think much of it, but Annabeth loved it.

I'm not sure when I first realized something was wrong.

Probably, it was when I noticed the guy standing next to me at VR sharpshooters. He was about thirteen, I guess, but his clothes were weird. I thought he was some Elvis impersonator's son. He wore bell-bottom jeans and a red T-shirt with black piping, and his hair was permed and gelled like a New Jersey girl's on homecoming night.

We played a game of sharpshooters together and he said, "Groovy, man. Been here two weeks, and the games keep getting better and better."

Groovy?

Later, while we were talking, I said something was "sick," and he looked at me kind of startled, as if he'd never heard the word used that way before.

He said his name was Darrin, but as soon as I started asking him questions he got bored with me and started to go back to the computer screen.

I said, "Hey, Darrin?"

"What?"

"What year is it?"

He frowned at me.

"In the game?"

"No. In real life."

He had to think about it.

"1977."

"No," I said, getting a little scared. "Really."

"Hey, man. Bad vibes. I got a game happening."

After that he totally ignored me.

I started talking to people, and I found it wasn't easy. They were glued to the TV screen, or the video game, or their food, or whatever. I found a guy who told me it was 1985. Another guy told me it was 1993. They all claimed they hadn't been in here very long, a few days, a few weeks at most. They didn't really know and they didn't care.

Then it occurred to me: how long had I been here? It seemed like only a couple of hours, but was it?

I tried to remember why we were here. We were going to Los Angeles. We were supposed to find the entrance to the Underworld. My mother ... for a scary second, I had trouble remembering her name. Sally. Sally Jackson. I had to find her. I had to stop Hades from causing World War III.

I saw Iris playing some kind of card game with a boy and a girl was sitting nearby watching them. The boy had pale olive skin, dark hair and brown eyes and the girl had similar features to the boy except the slightly longer hair and coal black eyes. I guessed they were siblings.

Iris suddenly slammed her cards on the table and said, "I can't believe this. I lost for the seventh time. How do you win every single time, Nico?"

The other girl smiled fondly and said, "Nico has been playing it for years. It's all he ever talks about."

"Iris, we need to leave.", I said.

Iris stood up and said, " Percy, this is Nico and Bianca di angelo. Guys, this is my friend Percy Jackson."

I noticed that the girl-Bianca on seeing me lowered her head such that her hair covered a good part of her face. I could have sworn that she was blushing.

"Cool", Nico said.

Iris turned to them and put a hand on each of their shoulder.

"Nico, be a good boy. Don't give your sister too much trouble, huh. A little mischief here and there are ok of course.", she said winking at him, "Take good care of your sister."

"Bianca, it's nice of you to take responsibility but don't forget to live yourself."

"It's for you.", Nico said giving her one of his cards.

"Really! Thank you, Nico. Now, come on, guys. A group hug."

She hugged them after pocketing the card.

Iris then turned to me and said, "Let's go, Percy."

"Wait! You actually remember everything?"

She looked at me weirdly as if I had just asked her a stupid question.

"Of course I remember everything. I don't have short term memory loss, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh"

We found Annabeth still building her city.

"Come on", I told her, "We've got to get out of here."

No response.

I shook her. "Annabeth?"

She looked up, annoyed.

"What?

"We need to leave."

"Leave? What are you talking about? I've just got the towers—"

"This place is a trap."

She didn't respond until I shook her again.

"What?"

"Listen. The Underworld. Our quest!"

"Oh, come on, Percy. Just a few more minutes."

"Annabeth, there are people here from 1977. Kids who have never aged. You check in, and you stay forever."

"So?", she asked, "Can you imagine a better place?"

"My turn now."

Iris pointed her wand and suddenly there was a spider on top of Annabeth's head. The spider slowly crawled down until it was level with her eyes. The next thing I knew there was a scream so high pitched that I was surprised that the machines in the casino did not break down. I knew my ear drums would have broken down if I had not covered my ears.

The spider was crawling on the ground and Annabeth was staring at it in shock muttering to herself. I hope Iris hadn't ended up breaking her.

Annabeth suddenly looked up at them recognition in her grey eyes.

"Oh my gods," she said. "How long have we—"

"I don't know, but we've got to leave now."

"You know, Percy, when you asked me about remembering, I thought you had hit your head somewhere. Now, I know why you asked me that question.", Iris said.

"How did you remember everything when we struggled to remember?

"I don't know."

The Lotus bellhop hurried up to us.

"Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving.", I told him.

"Such a shame.", he said, and I got the feeling that he really meant it, that we'd be breaking his heart if we went.

"We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members."

He held out the cards, and I wanted one. I knew that if I took one, I'd never leave. I'd stay here, happy

forever, playing games forever, and soon I'd forget my mom, and my quest, and maybe even my own

name. I'd be playing virtual rifleman with groovy Disco Darrin forever.

We walked toward the door, and as we did, the smell of the food and the sounds of the games seemed to get more and more inviting. I thought about our room upstairs. We could just stay the night, sleep in a real bed for once...

Then we burst through the doors of the Lotus Casino and ran down the sidewalk.

It felt like afternoon, about the same time of day we'd gone into the casino, but something was wrong.

The weather had completely changed. It was stormy, with heat lightning flashing out in the desert.

I ran to the nearest newspaper stand and read the year first. Thank the gods, it was the same year it had

been when we went in.

Then I noticed the date: June twentieth. We had been in the Lotus Casino for five days.

We had only one day left until the summer solstice. One day to complete our quest.

X-X-X-X-X

I apologise for the confusion. It seems italics in my document does not transfer to the posted chapter.


	12. We shop for Water Beds

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 12 : We shop for Water Beds

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

This chapter will be in Iris' Pov unless stated otherwise.

X-X-X-X-X

We got into a cab and Annabeth told the driver, "Los Angeles, please."

The cabbie chewed his cigar and sized us up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."

"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.

He shrugged. "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."

Annabeth handed him her green LotusCash card.

He looked at it skeptically.

"Swipe it," Annabeth invited.

He did.

His meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed. Finally an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign.

The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth.

He looked back at us, his eyes wide.

"Where to in Los Angeles... uh, Your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier."

Annabeth sat up a little straighter. I smirked. I could tell she liked the "Your Highness"

thing.

"Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."

The cab's speedometer never dipped below ninety-five the whole way through the Mojave Desert.

On the road, we had plenty of time to talk. Percy told Annabeth and me about my latest dream, but the details got sketchier the further he went. The Lotus Casino seemed to have short-circuited his memory.

He couldn't seem to recall what the invisible servant's voice had sounded like, just that he was familiar. The servant had called the monster in the pit something other than "my lord" ... some special name or title...

"The Silent One?", Annabeth suggested, "The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades."

I tuned them out thinking about the two kids I met. I wondered whether I made the right decision leaving them there. It was obvious to me that they were demigods and I even had my suspicions on who their parent was. Considering that they never had any problems similar to what Annabeth had, it was obvious that they were hidden here by their parent. Bringing them along would have only put them into danger, whether the danger was the monsters, assassination attempts of their uncles or being pawns in the twisted games of their father she didn't know.

The 'wise' decision would have been to take them along. Not only would they be free entrance tickets but they would have forced Hades to be as polite as reasonable as possible for him to not give them a bad first impression of him. It would also have sent a message : Two can play that game. Why didn't I do it then? I had no problem using their loved ones to control an opponent before. Dursleys accepted my dominance over them because they knew that it would be Dudley who would be paying for their defiance.

Then again Dudley was no innocent victim while the di Angelo siblings were innocent kids who accepted me just as I was. In the small amount of time we spent together, I had developed a soft spot for them. Bianca reminded me of myself, a girl who was forced to grow up too fast and had no idea what being a child meant. Nico was the adorable, ever cheerful little brother everyone wanted to spoil rotten.

I decided. I am Iris Lilliane Leto Potter. I was named after three great women and carry the last name of a family that had been in Britain since the time of Founders or even earlier and, if rumours are true, descended from the Norse God Loki. I was confident of my own skills to not need to use innocent children as meat shields. If Hades wanted to hide behind an innocent boy's mother, it was merely indicative of his character.

Wasteland rolled by. We passed a sign that said CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES.

"The answer is in the Underworld.", Annabeth assured us though she looked like she was trying to reassure herself.

"You saw spirits of the dead, Percy. There's only one place that could be. We're doing the right thing."

She tried to boost our morale by suggesting clever strategies for getting into the Land of the Dead but there were just too many unknown factors.

X-X-X-X-X

At sunset, the taxi dropped us at the beach in Santa Monica. It looked exactly the way L.A. beaches do in the movies, only it smelled worse.

There were carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalks, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfer dudes waiting for the perfect wave.

Percy, Annabeth, and I walked down to the edge of the surf.

"What now?" Annabeth asked.

The Pacific was turning gold in the setting sun. I thought about how long it had been since I'd stood on the beach at the camp, on the opposite side of the country, looking out at a different sea. I had to admit that the scenery was beautiful despite the mortals' best attempts to tarnish it.

**Percy**

I stepped into the surf.

"Percy?", Annabeth said. "What are you doing?"

I kept walking, up to my waist, then my chest.

She called after me, "You know how polluted that water is? There're all kinds of toxic-"

That's when my head went under.

I held my breath at first. It's difficult to intentionally inhale water. Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. I

gasped. Sure enough, I could breathe normally.

I walked down into the shoals. I shouldn't have been able to see through the murk, but somehow I could tell where everything was. I could sense the rolling texture of the bottom. I could make out sand-dollar colonies dotting the sandbars. I could even see the currents, warm and cold streams swirling together.

I felt something rub against my leg. I looked down and almost shot out of the water like a ballistic missile. Sliding along beside me was a five-foot-long mako shark.

"Whoa."

But the thing wasn't attacking. It was nuzzling me. Heeling like a dog.

Tentatively, I touched its dorsal fin. It bucked a little, as if inviting me to hold tighter. I grabbed the fin with both hands. It took off, pulling me along. The shark carried me down into the darkness. It deposited me at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm. It was like standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon at midnight, not being able to see much, but knowing the void was right there.

The surface shimmered maybe a hundred and fifty feet above. I knew I should've been crushed by the pressure. Then again, I shouldn't have been able to breathe. I wondered if there was a limit to how deep I could go, if I could sink straight to the bottom of the Pacific.

Then I saw something glimmering in the darkness below, growing bigger and brighter as it rose toward me. A woman's voice called: "Percy Jackson."

As she got closer, her shape became clearer. She had flowing black hair, a dress made of green silk.

Light flickered around her, and her eyes were so distractingly beautiful I hardly noticed the stallion-sized sea horse she was riding. She dismounted. The sea horse and the mako shark whisked off and started playing something that looked like tag.

The underwater lady smiled at me. "You've come far, Percy Jackson. Well done."

I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I bowed. "You're the woman who spoke to me in the Mississippi River."

"Yes, child. I am a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. It was not easy to appear so far upriver, but the naiads, my freshwater cousins, helped sustain my life force. They honor Lord Poseidon, though they do not serve in his court."

"And ... you serve in Poseidon's court?"

She nodded.

"It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born. We have watched you with great interest."

Suddenly I remembered faces in the waves off Montauk Beach when I was a little boy, reflections of smiling women.

Like so many of the weird things in my life, I'd never given it much thought before.

"You know my name but I don't know yours."

The lady raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Why do you want to know my name, young hero? Are you planning to ask my father for my hand in marriage? Aren't you a little young for that?"

I now knew it was possible for a son of Poseidon to blush under water. How? Because I was blushing. I couldn't help but notice that she really was beautiful which caused my blush to intensify. I was glad the darkness hid it from her.

"I was not..."

She continued as if she had not heard me, "I apologise. I forgot that when it comes to Lord Poseidon and his children, age is just a number. You are certainly following the tradition if the two lovely ladies that I saw beside you are any indication."

I was now sure that my face resembled a tomato.

"You are right though.", she said giving me a coy smile, "If I want a chance with you, I have to start now. Both Athena and Artemis are well known for not letting go what they believe to be theirs. I don't think their children are any different."

"They are just my friends."

It came out a little harsher than I meant to. I was about to apologise when she just waved me off.

"Peace Percy. If you still want to know my name, it's Ineiria. I know I shouldn't be having fun when I am doing a job for your father even if he would only have encouraged me but you seemed a lot tense. I just thought it would be easier if you were relaxed."

"If my father is so interested in me," I said, "why isn't he here? Why doesn't he speak to me?"

I tried to make it sound curious but on seeing her demeanour change, I realised I was not that successful. A cold current rose out of the depths.

"Do not judge the Lord of the Sea too harshly," the Nereid told me, "He stands at the brink of an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time. The situation is not good in Atlantis and it seems to get worse as time goes by. You are too young and ignorant of the ways of the world to truly understand the trouble your father is in. I hope it remains that way but I have learned that fates have a different plan for you. Besides, he is forbidden to help you directly. The gods may not show such favoritism."

"Even to their own children?"

"Especially to them. The gods can work by indirect influence only. That is why I give you a warning, and a gift."

She held out her hand. Three white pearls flashed in her palm.

"I know you journey to Hades' realm," she said, "Few mortals have ever done this and survived: Orpheus, who had great music skill; Hercules, who had great strength; Houdini, who could escape even the depths of Tartarus. Do you have these talents?"

"Urn ... no, ma'am."

"Ah, but you have something else, Percy. You have gifts you have only begun to know. The oracles have foretold a great and terrible future for you, should you survive to manhood. Poseidon would not have you die before your time. Therefore take these, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."

"What will happen?"

"That," she said, "depends on the need. But remember: what belongs to the sea will always return to the sea."

"At the river, you told me not to trust the gifts. Are these the gifts you were talking about?", I asked.

Ineiria visibly sighed. I had a feeling that I had just asked a very stupid question.

"No. This is my warning. Go with what your heart tells you, Percy, or you will lose all. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness. He will trick you if he can, make you mistrust your own judgment. Once you are in his realm, he will never willingly let you leave. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy Jackson."

"Wait!"

I thought about my father who had found a way to help me despite the rules against it. I thought back to Ineiria's words which implied that my father had more problems to deal with than just the unwanted war.

I thought back to the talk I had about the spoils of victory after the Chimera incident with Iris who was shocked that nobody had explained about it to me.

Mortal prayers and sacrifices empowered the gods, more so the latter. The sacrifice of the spoil of victory gave the god even more power. The first spoil of victory was the most powerful which was why it was customary to sacrifice it to your parent.

I thought back to the Minotaur horn I had left in my cabin because I believed there was no point in carrying around what I then thought to be a mere decoration item.

What did Iris say? Your spoils of victory would always return to you as long as you want them to.

I held out my unoccupied hand and willed the Minotaur horn to appear on my palm. The next moment, it was there. No flash. No splash.

"I, Percy Jackson, sacrifice my first spoil of victory to Poseidon, the Lord of the Seas, the Earthshaker, the Stormbringer"

The Minotaur horn dissolved into the sea. From the smile on her face, I knew that I did the right thing.

When Iris told me spoils of victory had much more power, I never realised until now how much. The entire sea felt more warm, lively and happy. The darkness seemed to reduce in intensity and everything seemed much more clearer. I felt as if the sea itself was hugging me like a mother would her child. Even Ineiria seemed more beautiful and radiant.

She swam up to me and kissed my cheek lightly. I could feel the warmth of her lips on my skin.

"I gave you my name for a reason, Percy. If we meet again, use it."

She summoned her sea horse and rode toward the void.

"Good-bye, young hero," she called back, her voice fading into the depths, "You must listen to your heart."

She became a speck of glowing green, and then she was gone.

I would have stood there in shock for a long time touching the place on my cheek where she kissed me but I noticed the sunset darkening on the surface. My friends were waiting. We had so little time...

I kicked upward toward the shore.

**/Percy**

Percy arrived at the shore completely dry. He told us about his underwater adventure and showed us the pearls. We knew he was hiding many things as he seemed to get embarrassed many times. Annabeth wanted to ask about it but I convinced her otherwise. The affairs of the sea and his private affairs with sea nymphs were none of our business.

"There is a reason I convinced you to send Medusa's head to your stepmother, Percy, a reason that has nothing to do with the Olympians. There is more to war than running around with a sword. A mere rumour of impending war is enough to send the prices of essential commodities skyrocketing through the roof. I don't know much about Atlantis but a society usually consists of privileged minority and less privileged majority, or as we say rich and poor. It's the poor who suffer more. When the prices rise, the people rush to buy much more than necessary before the prices rise again. It causes a shortage in the market which causes the shopkeepers to increase prices again to make more profit which leads to people hoarding again beginning a vicious cycle. Then there are those in charge of the treasury who will want to ensure that it will last till the end of the war. They will naturally raise the taxes increasing the prices further and cut down expenditures to bare necessities. If Atlantis is anything like the Greek city states of old, there will be pressure on the able bodied males to join the army leading to many unhappy mothers.", I said.

I then looked straight into his eyes and said, "When problems arise, the people will choose a scapegoat to blame which usually tends to be the rulers of the land. In the present case, the ruler has an illegitimate son who was conveniently accused of the theft which resulted in the threat. Many power hungry politicians who were jealous of your father and were eagerly waiting for a chance to usurp his throne would come at him like sharks who smelled blood. With well chosen words, they will convince the people that it was Poseidon's inability to 'keep it in his pants' despite the oath on river Styx that was the reason for their sufferings and causes them to question his eligibility as their ruler. Public discontent will soon turn into riots and acts of vandalism which, if unchecked, will soon lead to mutiny. So much trouble and the war hasn't even begun."

"Many will demand your head be sent as a gift to Zeus to appease him. So, we sent a gift of our own to appease the Queen. In return, she declared you under her personal protection until the Summer solstice. Any attack against you will be considered an attack against her. So, at this moment, we have nothing to fear from the sea."

"Why did you not tell me then?", he asked.

"Were you ready to listen? If I gauged your mood well, you didn't even want to talk about your father.", I replied.

He did not deny it. He sighed.

"I didn't know things were that bad for him.", he said.

If I was right, he actually felt guilty about it.

"Don't think too much about the things you can't control, Percy. Focus on what you can do. What is our next move, captain?"

With some spare change from Ares' backpack, we took the bus into West Hollywood. Percy showed the driver the Underworld address slip he'd taken from Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium, but he'd never heard of DOA Recording Studios.

"You remind me of somebody I saw on TV.", he told Percy, "You a child actor or something?"

"Uh ... I'm a stunt double ... for a lot of child actors."

I hid my surprise. Percy actually told a believable lie.

"Oh! That explains it."

We thanked him and got off quickly at the next stop.

We wandered for miles on foot, looking for DOA. Nobody seemed to know where it was. It didn't appear in the phone book.

Twice, we ducked into alleys to avoid cop cars.

Percy froze in front of an appliance-store window because a television was playing an interview with somebody who looked...well there is no word that properly described the crime against nature. The guy was as fat as Vernon or perhaps even fatter. But unlike Vernon, he had no idea what cleanliness and personal hygiene were. He was talking to Barbara Walters-as if he was some kind of huge celebrity. She was interviewing him in an apartment, in the middle of a poker game, and there was a young blond lady sitting next to him, patting his hand.

I wondered how they could even sit in the same room as him much less touch him when I felt the urge to vomit on merely seeing him on TV.

A fake tear glistened on his cheek.

He was saying, "Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn't for Sugar here, my grief counselor,

I'd be a wreck. My stepson took everything I cared about. My wife ... my Camaro ... I—I'm sorry. I have trouble talking about it."

The guy was Percy's stepfather apparently. I felt really bad for him, Percy that is. I had not known Sally Jackson for long but she seemed the intelligent and sensible kind. I could not understand why she would marry that guy...unless there were other ways to cover demigod scent from monsters. In that case, I would have to applaud her for letting the guy touch her willingly for the sake of her son's safety.

I sneered in disgust at the scene on the TV. I knew very well what kind of 'counselling' the blond woman was giving him. I wondered how much Sally's life insurance policy was worth. Sure, the counsellor 'Sugar' looked the type of woman who would spread her legs for anything that had something sticking out but even she would want some compensation for letting that abomination touch her.

"There you have it, America.", Barbara Walters turned to the camera, "A man torn apart. An adolescent boy with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of this troubled young fugitive, taken a week ago in Denver."

The screen cut to a grainy shot of Annabeth, Percy and me standing outside the Colorado diner, talking to Ares.

"Who are the other children in this photo?", Barbara Walters asked dramatically, "Who is the man with them? Is Percy Jackson a delinquent, a terrorist, or perhaps the brainwashed victim of a frightening new cult? When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned, America."

"Come on, Percy. Let's reserve the punching for your stepfather."

I hauled him away before he could punch a hole in the appliance-store window.

We roamed the place without any specific sense of direction as none of us had ever been here before.

It got dark, and hungry-looking characters started coming out on the streets to play.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm from London. I don't scare easy. But L.A. had a totally different feel from London. Back home, everything seemed close. It didn't matter how big the city was, you could get anywhere without getting lost. The street pattern and the subway made sense. There was a system to how things worked. A kid could be safe as long as he or she wasn't stupid.

L.A. wasn't like that. It was spread out, chaotic, hard to move around. It reminded me of Knockturn Alley but more rich and developed.

I instinctively straightened my posture and strutted forward confidently as if daring some idiot to challenge me and get killed.

We walked past gangbangers, bums, and street hawkers, who looked at us like they were trying to figure if we were worth the trouble of mugging. One killer stare from me was enough to remove any lingering doubts. I knew they recognised me as someone who had killed without remorse and would do it again to those who stood in my way.

But, it was none of that which made me uncomfortable. There was something niggling just outside my senses. I was something I should understand but I could not.

I don't know what happened but the next thing I knew we were standing in front of the only shop that was open in the whole block, its windows glaring with neon. The sign above the door said : CRUSTY'S WATER BED PLACE

I repeated the name for my friends. Dejavu much. The sensible choice would have been to walk away. Then again, sensible choice would have been to stay within the safety of the camp. Since when had I done safe? I knocked the door loudly.

Annabeth and Percy were looking at me wondering what I was doing. I knew that it was a monster lair but I also knew that we were not in a position to play safe. We had to take a few risks to complete the quest in the required time frame.

The door opened and there stood a guy who looked like a raptor in a leisure suit. He was at least seven feet tall, with absolutely no hair. He had gray, leathery skin, thick-lidded eyes, and a cold, reptilian smile.

His suit might've come from the Lotus Casino. It belonged back in the seventies, big-time. The shirt was silk paisley, unbuttoned halfway down his hairless chest. The lapels on his velvet jacket were as wide as landing strips. The silver chains around his neck-I couldn't even count them.

"I'm Crusty," he said, with a tartar-yellow smile.

He opened the door completely and let us in.

There was every kind of water bed you could imagine: different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets; queen-size, king-size, emperor-of-the-universe-size.

"This is my most popular model." Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed covered with black satin sheets, with built-in Lava Lamps on the headboard. The mattress vibrated, so it looked like oil-flavored Jell-O.

"Million-hand massage," Crusty told us. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, any-way."

"Um," Percy said, "I don't think ..."

He looked at Annabeth. "Do me a favor and try this one over here, honey. Might fit."

Annabeth said, "But what—"

He patted her reassuringly on the shoulder and led her over to the Safari Deluxe model with teakwood lions carved into the frame and a leopard-patterned comforter. When Annabeth didn't want to lie down, Crusty pushed her.

"Hey!", she protested.

Crusty snapped his fingers.

"Ergo!"

Ropes sprang from the sides of the bed, lashing around Annabeth, holding her to the mattress.

He then turned to me and said, "Don't worry, little one. We have a special kids edition for you. I only just completed it and you would be the first customer to try it. You will love it."

"Little one?", I bristled.

Before I knew it, he picked me up with one hand and held me against his chest like a baby. I was mortified. When I looked behind him and saw Percy's face, I knew that I would never live it down.

He placed me in a smaller version of the popular bed. I fit.

Crusty snapped his fingers.

"Ergo"

No ropes sprung up to lash around me. His face shifted into a wide smile.

"Look at that.", he said to Percy, "Perfect. In all my years of crafting water beds, I have never seen such a perfect fit."

It was bad enough that the monster was quicker than me at night time when I was supposed to be at my best. The fact that I fit the kids edition was humiliating. But, I had to admit no one made beds like Crusty. If only he could make beds that adjusted to the person's height...

Weirdly, he looked like a father who was proud of his child. He turned to Percy.

Percy tried to step away, but Crusty's hand shot out and clamped around the back of his neck.

"Whoa, kid. Don't worry. We'll find you one in a sec."

"Let Annabeth go."

"Oh, sure I will. But I got to make her fit, first."

"What do you mean?"

"All the beds, other than the one the little one is on, are exactly six feet, see? Your friend is too short. Got to make her fit."

"Can't stand imperfect measurements," Crusty muttered. "Ergo!"

A new set of ropes leaped out from the top and bottom of the beds, wrapping around

Annabeth's ankles, then around their armpits. The ropes started tightening, pulling her from both ends.

"Don't worry.", Crusty told him, "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on her spines. She might even live. Now why don't we find a bed you like, huh?"

"Your real name's not Crusty, is it?", I asked.

"Legally, it's Procrustes.", he admitted.

"The Stretcher.", I said.

I remembered the story: the giant who'd tried to kill Theseus with excess hospitality on his way to Athens.

It was a good news. According to the story, Procrustes' lair was right next to the doorway to the Underworld and I couldn't see it changing.

But, we had to wait for him to let his guard down before striking. He was too strong and fast.

"Yeah," the salesman said, "But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now 'Crusty,' anybody can say that."

"You're right. It's got a good ring to it.", Percy said.

His eyes lit up.

"You think so?"

"Oh, absolutely.", Percy said, "And the workmanship on these beds? Fabulous!"

I knew what he was doing : playing the distraction. I decided to wait until he had his complete attention to Percy.

He grinned hugely, but his fingers didn't loosen on Percy's neck.

"I tell my customers that. Every time. Nobody bothers to look at the workmanship. How many built-in Lava Lamp headboards have you seen?"

"Not too many."

"That's right!"

"Percy!", Annabeth yelled, "What are you doing?"

"Don't mind her.", he told Procrustes, "She's impossible."

The giant laughed.

"All my customers are. Never six feet exactly. So inconsiderate. And then they complain about the fitting."

"What do you do if they're longer than six feet?", Percy asked.

"Oh, that happens all the time. It's a simple fix."

Crusty let go of his neck, but before we could react, he reached behind a nearby sales desk and brought out a huge double-bladed brass axe.

He said, "I just center the subject as best I can and lop off whatever hangs over on either end."

I gulped. On second thoughts, I like being small.

"Ah," Percy said, swallowing hard, "Sensible."

"I'm so glad to come across an intelligent customer!"

The ropes were really stretching our friend now. Annabeth was turning pale.

"So, Crusty ...", Percy said, trying to keep his voice light.

He glanced at the sales tag on the valentine-shaped Honeymoon Special.

"Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?"

"Absolutely. Try it out."

"Yeah, maybe I will. But would it work even for a big guy like you? No waves at all?"

"Guaranteed."

"No way."

"Way."

"Show me."

He sat down eagerly on the bed, patted the mattress.

"No waves. See?"

Percy snapped his fingers.

"Ergo."

The moment Crusty was trapped, I rushed forward and freed Annabeth. I saw ropes lash around Crusty and flatten him against the mattress.

"Hey!", he yelled.

"Center him just right," Percy said.

The ropes readjusted themselves at his command. Crusty's whole head stuck out the top. His feet stuck out the bottom. A fitting end.

"No!", he said, "Wait! This is just a demo."

Percy uncapped Riptide.

"A few simple adjustments ..."

"You drive a hard bargain,", Crusty said, "I'll give you thirty percent off on selected floor models."

"I think I'll start with the top."

Percy raised his sword.

"No money down! No interest for six months!"

He swung the sword. Crusty stopped making offers.

"You look taller.", Percy said.

"Very funny.", Annabeth said, "Be faster next time."

"Let's hope there's no next time.", I replied.

We looked at the bulletin board behind Crusty's sales desk. There was an advertisement for Hermes Delivery Service, and another for the All-New Compendium of L.A. Area Monsters-"The only Monstrous Yellow Pages you'll ever need!" which I pocketed.

Under that, a bright orange flier for DOA Recording Studios, offering commissions for heroes' souls.

"We are always looking for new talent!"

DOA's address was right underneath with a map.

"Come on," Percy told us.

"Give me a minute." Annabeth complained, "I was almost stretched to death.'"

"Then you're ready for the Underworld," Percy said. "It's only a block from here."

X-X-X-X-X

Just so you know, there will not be much romance in the story, perhaps a few hints some misleading.

As you can see, I have deviated slightly from the canon and you will see more in the coming chapters. Nymphs are known to be flirtatious in myths. I can certainly see Poseidon sending a beautiful Nereid to guide him as some sort of apology for the harsh life Percy had ended up with...and some hope that Percy will turn out to be like his old man.

For the person who asked about love tunnel, it was part of the water park where Ares did not send them to.

I thank everyone who took time to review my story.


	13. The Death Lord's Tale

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 13 : The Death Lord's Tale

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

This chapter will be in Iris' Pov unless stated otherwise.

X-X-X-X-X

We stood in the shadows of Valencia Boulevard, looking up at gold letters etched in black marble: DOA RECORDING STUDIOS.

Underneath, stenciled on the glass doors: NO SOLICITORS. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

It was almost midnight, but the lobby was brightly lit and full of people. Behind the security desk sat a tough-looking guard with sunglasses and an earpiece.

Percy turned to us.

"Okay. You remember the plan."

Annabeth said, "What happens if the plan doesn't work?"

"Don't think negative.", Percy replied.

"Right.", she said, "We're entering the Land of the Dead, and I shouldn't think negative."

"Annie, don't talk like that. We will return successfully. After all, we are awesome like that.", I said.

"Yeah, let's whip some Underworld butt.", Percy said.

We walked inside the DOA lobby.

Music played softly on hidden speakers. The carpet and walls were steel gray. Pencil cactuses grew in the corners like skeleton hands rising from the ground. The furniture was black leather and every seat was taken. There were people sitting on couches, standing up, staring out the windows or waiting for the elevator. Nobody moved, talked or did much of anything.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see them all just fine but if I focused on any one of them in particular, they started looking transparent. I could see right through their bodies. They were quite different from the glowing translucent ghosts back at Hogwarts.

The security guard's desk was a raised podium, so we had to look up at him.

He was tall and elegant, with chocolate-colored skin and bleached-blond hair shaved military style. He wore tortoise shell shades and a silk Italian suit that matched his hair. A black rose was pinned to his lapel under a silver name tag.

"Your name is Chiron?"

Guess who asked. If your guess was either Annabeth or me, you were wrong.

I resisted the urge to whack him for the stupidity and give away everything.

He leaned across the desk. I couldn't see anything in his glasses except my own reflection, but his smile was sweet and cold, like that of a python that had cornered its prey.

"What a precious young lad.", he said in a weird accent, "Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?"

"N-no."

"Sir," he added smoothly.

"Sir.", Percy said.

He pinched the name tag and ran his finger under the letters. "Can you read this, mate? It says C-H -A-R-O-N. Say it with me: CARE-ON."

"Charon."

"Amazing! Now: Mr. Charon."

"Mr. Charon.", Percy said.

"Well done.", He sat back, "I hate being confused with that old horse-man. And now, how may I help you little dead ones?"

Percy stared at the guy in shock. I kept myself from sighing in frustration. It seemed our illustrious leader had not even considered the possibility of us not being automatically granted entrance on arrival. Why did I have to be the one to do everything?

"We want to go the Underworld.", Annabeth said.

Thank gods ... and goddesses.

Charon's mouth twitched.

"Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?", she asked.

"Straight forward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, .'"

He looked us over.

"How did you die, then?"

I took over knowing that Percy would blurt out something stupid like all of us drowning in a bathtub.

"We were travelling in a Greyhound bus from New York when the lightning struck it."

It was not a lie. I just didn't mention that we actually survived it.

"Yes. Old Zappy throwing a temper tantrum again. It is weird though. He usually limits himself to attacking planes. Anyway, you have arrived just in time. I was about to transport your co-passengers. I don't suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children ... alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

Zappy, eh? That was nice. I decided I would start using it myself if appropriate situation arrived.

"Oh, but we have coins."

Percy set three golden drachmas on the counter, part of the stash we'd found in Crusty's office desk.

"Well, now ...", Charon moistened his lips, "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I haven't seen these in ..."

His fingers hovered greedily over the coins.

We were so close.

Then Charon looked at Percy scrutinising him.

"Here now," he said. "You couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lad?"

"No.", Percy said. "I'm dead."

Percy's stupidity struck again. I grimaced. A dead guy saying he was dead was like a mad man saying he was mad. Now, he would check us and realize that we were quite alive.

Charon leaned forward and took a sniff.

"You're not dead. I should've known. You're a godling."

"We have to get to the Underworld.", Percy insisted.

Charon made a growling sound deep in his throat.

Immediately, all the people in the waiting room got up and started pacing, agitated, lighting cigarettes, running hands through their hair, or checking their wristwatches.

"Leave while you can.", Charon told us, "I'll just take these and forget I saw you."

He started to go for the coins, but Percy snatched them back.

"No service, no tip."

Charon growled again-a deep, blood-chilling sound. The spirits of the dead started pounding on the elevator doors.

"It's a shame, too.", Percy sighed, "We had more to offer."

He held up the entire bag from Crusty's stash. He took out a fistful of drachmas and let the coins spill through his fingers.

You know what, I forgave Percy for his earlier mistakes. That was just so cool. It seemed there were more layers to Percy than his initial appearance suggested.

Charon's growl changed into something more like a lion's purr.

"Do you think I can be bought, godling? Eh ... just out of curiosity, how much have you got there?"

"A lot.", Percy said, "I bet Hades doesn't pay you well enough for such hard work."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. How would you like to babysit these spirits all day? Always 'Please don't let me be dead' or 'Please let me across for free.' I haven't had a pay raise in three thousand years. Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?"

"You deserve better.", Percy agreed, "A little appreciation. Respect. Good pay."

With each word, he stacked another gold coin on the counter.

Charon glanced down at his silk Italian jacket, as if imagining himself in something even better.

"I must say, lad, you're making some sense now. Just a little."

Percy stacked another few coins.

"I could mention a pay raise while I'm talking to Hades."

He sighed.

"The boat's almost full, anyway. I might as well add you three and be off."

He stood, scooped up our money, and said, "Come along."

We pushed through the crowd of waiting spirits, who tried grabbing at our clothes unsuccessfully, their voices whispering things I couldn't make out.

Charon shoved them out of the way, grumbling, "Freeloaders."

He escorted us into the elevator, which was already crowded with souls of the dead, each one holding a green boarding pass. Charon grabbed two spirits who were trying to get on with us and pushed them back into the lobby.

"Right. Now, no one get any ideas while I'm gone," he announced to the waiting room. "And if anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I'll make sure you're here for another thousand years. Understand?"

He shut the doors. He put a key card into a slot in the elevator panel and we started to descend.

"What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?", Annabeth asked.

"Nothing.", Charon said.

"For how long?"

"Forever, or until I'm feeling generous."

"Oh.", she said, "That's ... fair."

Charon raised an eyebrow.

"Whoever said death was fair, young miss? Wait until it's your turn. You'll die soon enough, where you're going."

"We'll get out alive.", Percy said.

"Ha."

I got a weird feeling. We weren't going down anymore, but forward.

The air turned misty. Spirits around me started changing shape.

Their modern clothes flickered, turning into gray hooded robes. I took it in stride being used to that type of attire after living in the magical society but Percy and Annabeth needed more time to get used to it.

The wooden platform started swaying as if we were on sea.

Suddenly, Charon's creamy Italian suit changed into a long black robe. His tortoise shell glasses were gone. Where his eyes should've been were empty sockets-like Ares' eyes, except Charon's were totally dark, full of night and death and despair. I know now how the legend of Grim Reaper came into being.

He saw me looking, and said, "Well?"

"Nothing."

I thought he was grinning, but that he wasn't. The flesh of his face was becoming transparent, letting me see straight through to his skull.

The floor kept swaying.

Suddenly, the elevator transformed. We were standing in a wooden boat now, a flat bottomed one, what did they call it, a barge. Charon was poling us across a dark, oily river, swirling with bones, dead fish, and other, stranger things-plastic dolls, crushed toy car, soggy diplomas with gilt edges.

I wondered why Charon hadn't automated the barge either with magic or technology. Wouldn't it be easier for him to just have the boat transport the passengers on its own by pressing a button on his desk. I decided not to ask him about it. I had a feeling that it would set off a long rant about needing a pay rise.

"The River Styx.", Annabeth murmured, "It's so ..."

"Polluted.", Charon said, "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across-hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true. Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me."

It seemed the mortals did not lose their knack for polluting everything even after their death.

It was then that I realised why one of the spirits seemed very familiar... more familiar than everyone else.

"Hey Quirell!"

The spirit in question turned to me. It was obvious to me that he had not recognised me.

"You know that guy?", Annabeth whispered.

"Yeah. I know him very well. He tried to kill me and paid the price. I will tell you the full story later.", I told her.

"Remember me, Quirell.", I said smiling gleefully, "I am the one who burned you alive."

Once he recognised me, his skin turned grey in anger. He pawed at me with his ghostly hands but it passed through me. I aimed a kick at his soft tissue. My leg passed through him too. It seemed intangibility went both ways. Well, there was only one thing left to do.

"Percy, whip him."

"Is that really necessary? He is not harming us.", said Percy, ever the pacifist.

"Please Percy", I said widening my eyes and giving him my best doe eyed look.

He relented like I knew he would. Fury's whip proved to be immune to the intangibility. I guess the Furies would not have been known as Torturers if it wasn't. Quirell screamed in pain. I could see the blistering wounds on the places the whip was in contact with. He stepped back in fear.

"That's a sample of what you are going to get, you filthy mongrel.", I said.

Quirell scurried away and soon forgot about us.

"That's interesting. I have never seen anyone get a Fury's whip as a spoil before.", Charon said.

"What can I say? We are cool like that.", I replied.

"Mr. Charon, do you have any say in the punishments of those evil enough to be directly transported to the Field of Punishments?", I asked.

"Why, yes, I do, young miss."

"If you happen to recommend the worst possible punishment for Quirell, I will be very grateful... grateful enough to give you a few more drachmas just like that.", I said.

Percy and Annabeth were looking at me as if wondering whether my vindictiveness had any limits.

"Percy", I said holding out my hand.

He dropped a few drachmas into mine which I passed on to Charon.

"It will be done.", he said.

I resisted the urge to cackle gleefully not wanting to scare my friends further. It seemed Quirell would soon learn the true meaning of the phrase 'wrath of the woman scorned'.

Once the euphoria of revenge was gone, I felt panic kicking in. What was I doing here quite alive in the middle of the dead people? Before I knew it, I was holding hands with Percy and I knew that his other hand was occupied with Annabeth's. That kind of behaviour would have usually sickened me but it was not a usual case and allowances had to be made.

To distract myself, I asked, "Mr. Charon, I thought the gods didn't have much political authority outside USA. Why is the Quirell guy here?"

"They have no direct political authority outside USA, atleast not as much as here.", Charon said, "But, the dead need somewhere to stay after all. We house the dead from most of the Western Civilisation. We can't really leave them to roam freely above the surface and cause trouble among the living just because it is more convenient for us, can we?"

I nodded. Meeting Voldemort was more than enough to convince me that the dead should remain dead.

"You have no idea how many times I had to endure the lazy idiot Thanatos whining about having to go there and drag the souls here. Then there was that little skirmish in your magical society which caused a lot of backlog forcing me to work overtime to clear them all.", he said.

Little skirmish? I guess it could be considered that compared to the war we were trying to prevent.

The shoreline of the Underworld came into view. Craggy rocks and black volcanic sand stretched inland about a hundred yards to the base of a high stone wall, which extended in both directions as far as we could see. A sound came from somewhere nearby echoing off the stones-the howl of a large animal, a very familiar large animal.

"Old Three-Face is hungry.", Charon said.

His smile turned skeletal in the greenish light.

"Bad luck for you, godlings."

I held in a smirk. It seemed Charon's habit of giving nicknames extended to animals too.

The bottom of our boat slid onto the black sand. The dead began to disembark. A couple holding each of their daughter's hands. An old man and an old woman holding each other's hand. A boy no older than we were shuffling along silently in his gray robe.

We squeezed each other's hand showing understanding and support for the other. I knew we were having the same thoughts. If we had not gotten in that bus, those people would now be relaxing in a hotel room after a city tour or in a relative's house enjoying a home cooked meal not walking through the depressing atmosphere of the Underworld.

Charon said, "I'd wish you luck, mate, but there isn't any down here. Mind you, don't forget to mention my pay raise."

He counted our golden coins into his pouch, then took up his pole.

"Remember, godlings", Charon spoke his soulless gaze piercing through our skulls, "Play with your little toys as much as you want but what belongs to the Underworld will eventually return to the Underworld."

He then warbled something weird as he ferried the empty barge back across the river. The thing that disturbed me the most was that he actually seemed to be speaking to both of us. But, as far as I knew, I had nothing of the Underworld. It was possible that he was just playing with our minds.

We followed the spirits up a well-worn path.

The entrance to the Underworld looked like airport security for international passengers and not in a good way. There was no special check in point for magicals through which I could bypass the queue. I would have to endure the tremendously long wait like an ordinary person.

There were three separate entrances under one huge black archway that said YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS. Each entrance had a pass-through metal detector with security cameras mounted on top.

Beyond this were toll booths manned by black-robed shades like Charon.

The howling of the hungry animal was really loud now, but we couldn't see where it was coming from. The three-headed dog, Cerberus, who was supposed to guard Hades' door, was nowhere to be seen.

The dead queued up in the three lines, two marked ATTENDANT ON DUTY, and one marked EZ DEATH. The EZ DEATH line was moving right along. The other two were crawling.

"What do you figure?", Percy asked Annabeth.

"The fast line must go straight to the Asphodel Fields.", she said, "No contest. They don't want to risk judgment from the court, because it might go against them."

"There's a court for dead people?", Percy asked.

"Yeah. Three judges. They switch around who sits on the bench. King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare-people like that. Sometimes they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward-the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So they go to the Asphodel Fields."

"And do what?", Percy asked.

"Nothing. Just imagine standing in a field in Kansas forever.", she said.

"Harsh," I said.

"Not as harsh as that.", I said gleefully, "Look."

A couple of black robbed shades had pulled the screaming Quirell aside and was dragging him off. I was not an expert at reading the emotions of shades but they looked particularly gleeful.

"What are they going to do to him?", Percy asked.

"Considering that Iris asked for the worst punishment, this is one of the few times when I prefer ignorance.", Annabeth said shuddering, "He will be getting Hades' personal attention. The Kindly Ones will set up an eternal torture for him."

We got closer to the gates. The howling was so loud now it shook the ground at my feet, but I still couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

Then, about fifty feet in front of us, the green mist shimmered. Standing just where the path split into three lanes was an enormous shadowy monster.

I hadn't seen it before because it was almost transparent as if it was placed under the Disillusionment charm. Until it moved, it blended with whatever was behind it. Only its eyes and teeth looked solid. And it was staring straight at us.

"He's a Rottweiler.", Percy spoke.

I was shocked too. Fluffy was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Perhaps, he might have gotten it from his mother's side.

The dead walked right up to him with no fear. The ATTENDANT ON DUTY lines parted on either side of him. The EZ DEATH spirits walked right between his front paws and under his belly, which they could do without even crouching. He actually made Fluffy look small and harmless. Hagrid would have loved him.

"I'm starting to see him better.", Percy muttered, "Why is that?"

"I think ...", Annabeth moistened her lips, "I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to being dead."

The dog's middle head craned toward us. It sniffed the air and growled.

"It can smell the living.", Percy said.

We moved toward the monster.

The middle head snarled at us, then barked very loudly.

"Can you understand it?", Percy asked me.

"No. I can only speak to those of deer family : doe, stag, antelope. I can speak to snakes too though it is a gift from mortal side. I have some sort of empathy with other wild animals. I might even be able to speak to hunting dogs and wolves or perhaps it might be limited to those my mother own. The one in front of us fits into none of the categories. Only Pan and his descendants, the satyrs, can communicate with everything that lives.", I replied.

I did not tell them that I could speak to unicorns too. It was something I discovered on the little trip to the Forbidden Forest in my first year though I had then thought that it was due to being a maiden. It was a sad memory.

The unicorn I found bleeding to death was a little girl who had yet to reach adolescence in unicorn terms. A little girl who would not grow up into a beautiful adult mare. A little girl who would not find a good mate. A little girl who would not carry her young ones in her womb. A little girl who would not nurse any foals.

I still remembered her last words. Even when she was near death, she was happy that she got a personal visit from their mistress-me. I now knew that the mortals were actually right when they connected the unicorns with the moon.

I had promised her when she was drawing her last breaths that I would personally avenge her murder and I did. Even death could not save Quirell from my wrath.

That day continued being weird with the centaur Firenze behaving as if it was a privilege to carry me around on his back and even the snarky Bane who loathed humans was very polite to me once he actually saw me properly. Then again, godly bindings could not really fool those who could see the future in the sky. What did Firenze tell me? 'Mars will be a formidable foe but Moon will protect you.'

I had then thought that the centaurs were being cryptic for the sake of it but I now knew they were quite straightforward in that instance.

"You said you have a plan, right?", Percy asked startling me from my thoughts.

I took out my golden lyre while keeping an eye on the Cerebrus in front of us and kept it on the ground. Technically, it was the property of Quirell but he was not exactly going to object. I did wonder how a guy like him was actually able to obtain what was basically Apollo's symbol. Well, I naturally took it for myself after I killed Quirell.

Apollo kids had placed a permanent enchantment on it as I had no skill in music myself. Of course, it was before my claiming when they were still friendly with me.

"The Cerebrus has a major weakness. It falls asleep on hearing good music. The three heads of Cerebrus all have different personalities. The first one is the Playful One. It gets easily distracted and goes to sleep very quickly. Then there is the Observant One, ever alert and the Smart One. Kind of like the three of us.", I replied, a playful smirk on my face.

"Yes, Percy. I am the smart one while Rainbow here is the alert one.", Annabeth spoke smirking herself.

Percy simply nodded his head. A moment later, he realized the meaning of our words.

"Hey!"

"Anyway. We will move on after all of them fall asleep."

I pursed my lips wishing I did not have to say it but the boy was as egotistical as he was skilled. Then again he was a boy. So, it was not much of a surprise.

"Michael Yew, the most handsome son of Apollo."

I was sure that Hades could hear the sound of my gritting teeth from his throne. Annabeth and Percy looked at me in shock but knew better than to comment on it on seeing my face.

The lyre instantly started playing on its own. I could tell it was a lullaby but nothing else.

Its middle head started drooping first followed by the other two. By the time, all three of them fell asleep, we were feeling quite drowsy ourselves. Cerebrus then lowered itself to sleep comfortably on its stomach crushing the spirits that were walking beneath it.

It was then that we realised that we had another problem. When the Cerebrus chose to sleep, it ended up blocking our path. We would have to join the slow moving crowd of either the Elysium or the Fields of Punishment and hope that the delay would not prove significant later.

Annabeth looked around at all corners and then the dog itself analysing all the data. An amused smile came on her face.

"The solution is quite simple. I am wearing Luke's flying shoes. I can fly both of you over Cerebrus to the other side one at a time."

She was right. The Cerebrus might have been touching the roof of the cavern while standing but there was a lot of space for us to fly over now that he was lying down. I felt quite silly for not noticing it myself.

Annabeth then flew us over to the other side.

We passed through the metal detectors when the alarms started blaring just as I expected.

"Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!"

We quickly ran through the EZ DEATH gate and into the Underworld activating even more alarms.

A few minutes later, we were hiding, out of breath, in the rotten trunk of an immense black tree as security shades scuttled past, yelling for backup from the Furies. It was after they left that I really checked the tree we were in.

"Elder"

I was reminded of the silly children's stories Neville had told me. I had assumed that the story was originally about the Big Three. Really! A wand that could shear mountains and gouge caters on the earth. We might as well crown ourselves gods. But, I had to admit that it was disconcerting to see an elder tree right at the entrance of the Underworld just as the story stated.

"What?"

"Nothing."

X-X-X-X-X

The moment I entered Asphodel Fields, I realised how accurate Annabeth's comment was. The biggest gathering I had seen before was the idiot Lockhart's book signing in Diagon Alley. Comparing that to the sight in front of me was like comparing a bucket of water to the sea.

The black grass had been trampled by billions of dead feet. A warm, moist wind blew like the breath of a swamp. Poplars grew in clumps here and there.

The cavern ceiling was so high above us it might've been a bank of storm clouds, except for the stalactites, which glowed faint gray and looked wickedly pointed. It would have reminded me of the tunnels of Gringotts if not for the fact that the ceiling there was so low that only a goblin could travel comfortably. The message was the same in both cases.

We tried to blend into the crowd keeping an eye out for security shades. We couldn't resist looking for familiar faces but the dead were hard to look at. Their faces shimmered. They all looked slightly angry or confused. They would come up to us and speak, but their voices sound like chatter, like bats twittering. Once they realize we couldn't understand them, they would frown and move away.

It was tragedy at its finest.

We moved along, following the line of new arrivals that snaked from the main gates toward a black-tented pavilion with a banner that read:

JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION

Welcome, Newly Deceased!

Out the back of the tent came two much smaller lines.

To the left, spirits flanked by security shades were marched down a rocky path toward the Fields of Punishment, which glowed and smoked in the distance. It was a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from far away, we could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to ear shattering noise continuously.

In the distance, I could just make out a tiny hill, with the ant-size figure of Sisyphus struggling to move his boulder to the top.

I wondered what punishments the Death Eaters were assigned.

Running naked with their wand stuck up their a**?

Their blood slowly changing to mud and back continuously? That would be poetic.

I wished I could watch them receive their just desserts. Perhaps, I should inquire whether the video recordings of their torture were available, for a price of course.

The line coming from the right side of the judgment pavilion was much better. It led down toward a small valley surrounded by walls-a gated community, which seemed to be the only happy part of the Underworld. Beyond the security gate were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period in history, Roman villas and medieval castles and Victorian mansions. Silver and gold flowers bloomed on the lawns. The grass rippled in rainbow colors. I could hear laughter and smell barbecue cooking.

Elysium.

In the middle of that valley was a glittering blue lake, with three small islands like a vacation resort in the Bahamas. The Isles of the Blest, for people who had chosen to be reborn three times, and three times achieved Elysium.

The things that I would miss out on if I live to the age of sixteen. I wondered, for a moment, whether my Lily and James Potter, my mortal parents were there in Elysium. True, they did fight against Voldemort to protect the innocent and gave their lives for it but then again so did many others. As Charon said, it was a minor schirmish in the grand scheme of things.

Then again, did I want to meet them? True, I did want to know how they were as people but I could just ask someone. I was honest enough with myself to know that I was not a model daughter. Even my friends who I joined on the quest feared my ruthless nature. The people whose last memory of me was that of a drooling baby would never accept it. They might have the decency to blame someone else but the point stands.

I guess burning the balls of a paedophile, who tried to rape me, with his own cigarette lighter and laughing at his screams of pain would be difficult for most parents to stomach.

Despite all the difficulties, I am glad I had Artemis for my mother because she was one of the few who would congratulate me for doing something like that.

We left the judgment pavilion and moved deeper into the Asphodel Fields. It got darker. The colors faded from our clothes. The crowds of chattering spirits began to thin.

After a few miles of walking, we began to hear a familiar screech in the distance. Looming on the horizon was a palace of glittering black obsidian. Above the parapets swirled three dark batlike creatures: the Furies. I got the feeling they were waiting for us.

Annabeth yelped. The flying sneakers suddenly sprouted wings and pulled her away from us. She landed flat on her back on the grass.

I admit I stood still in shock not understanding what was happening. By the time I got over it and tried to grab her hand, the shoes were dragging her down the slope with her waving her hands frantically shouting, "Maia"

We naturally ran after her.

Annabeth tried to untie her shoes but it was not easy when it was pulling her at full speed.

We kept after her trying to keep her in sight as she ripped between the legs of spirits who chattered at her in annoyance.

I thought Annabeth was going to turn left and go straight through the gates of Hades's palace, but to my surprise, the shoes veered sharply to the right and dragged her in the opposite direction. Where the hell was it taking her?

The slope got steeper. Annabeth picked up speed. Percy and I had to sprint to keep up. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and I realized we'd entered some kind of side tunnel. No black grass or trees now, just rock underfoot, and the dim light of the stalactites above.

"Annie!", I yelled, my voice echoing, "Hold on to something!"

"I can't.", she yelled back, the terror she was feeling clear in her voice.

Annabeth tried grabbing at something but there was nothing strong enough to slow her down.

The tunnel got darker and colder. The hairs on my arms bristled. It smelled evil down there. I had a feeling that whatever was down there made Aura look like a cat trying to steal our fish.

Then we saw what was ahead of us, and we stopped dead in our tracks.

The tunnel widened into a huge dark cavern, and in the middle was a chasm the size of a city block.

"Percy, use your whip to hold her down. I can't cast my spells at her shoes when she is moving that fast.", I said.

"But-"

"Please, Percy. Whatever pain Annabeth feels will be nothing compared to what will happen to her in the pit."

Percy swung the whip like a lasso around Annabeth and pulled her down towards the ground amazingly ignoring her scream of pain. I quickly cast the spells that caused them to untie themselves. The first one fell into the pit while the other one flew our way.

"Incendio"

There was nothing left of it but ashes. We quickly freed Annabeth from the whip and I gave her back her original sneakers to put on.

We all collapsed, exhausted, on the obsidian gravel. My limbs felt like lead. I usually didn't get tired that quickly. I did not know whether it was due to the Underworld inhibiting my powers from the Wild or the atmosphere of our present location being poisonous.

Annabeth's top had burned off in the places where the whip came in contact with it and we could see the causterised wound on her skin.

"Annabeth, I-", Percy started.

She suddenly gave him a hug. It was a testament to how terrified she was that she clung on to him as tightly as a koala on a tree and was quite reluctant in letting him go. I could even see her eyes glisten slightly.

"Thank you."

I noticed Percy's cheeks turn red and I smiled. It seemed Percy was the 'one' after all. I noted it as a blackmail material to be used later.

"Wait.", Percy said, "Listen."

I then heard something-a deep whisper in the darkness.

Another few seconds later, Annabeth said, "Percy, this place—"

"Shh."

I stood.

The sound was getting louder, a muttering, evil voice from far below us. Coming from the pit.

"Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus.", Annabeth muttered.

I suddenly recognised what the language was. A language even I-Selene had only heard of. The language of Primordials. The Old Tongue. The True Tongue. The language of Magic.

It seemed something bled over when I went to my mindscape.

The only Titans who were proficient in it were the eldest ones : the four Titans of directions Coeus, Krios, Hyperion and Iapetus... and the Titan King Kronos.

I didn't know exactly what was being said but I knew enough to understand that it was bad news for us.

I concentrated on the moon and soon my hands were glowing silver. I formed it into a ball shape in my hands and threw it approximately at the place where I heard the chant from.

The evil voice faltered for a moment and I thought I had actually managed to hurt it. It then let out a high bone chilling laughter before resuming the chant. I guess it was too much to hope that it would have hurt him.

"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said and we agreed.

Percy, being the gentleman that he was, took Annabeth's backpack and put it on his shoulders as she was injured.

Together we ran up the tunnel supporting Annabeth all the way struggling more and more with each step. The voice got louder and angrier behind us and soon a cold blast pulled at our backs trying to suck us into the black hole.

We kept struggling forward, and finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel. The wind died. A wail of outrage echoed from deep in the tunnel. He was not happy that we had gotten away.

We looked at each other idly noticing that we were holding hands. The same thought was going through all our minds. We all had our suspicions about the thing in the pit but were too terrified to voice it out.

X-X-X-X-X

We strode forward towards the palace of Hades trying to ignore the dread pooling in our stomachs.

The Furies circled the parapets eyeing us the same way the vultures look at a dying animal. The outer walls of the fortress glittered black, and the two-story-tall bronze gates stood wide open.

Up close, we saw that the engravings on the gates were scenes of death. Some were from modern times-an atomic bomb exploding over a city, a trench filled with gas mask-wearing soldiers, a line of African famine victims waiting with empty bowls and even a few that I recognized had wizards throwing curses at each other-but all of them looked as if they'd been etched into the bronze thousands of years ago.

I wondered if I was looking at prophecies that had come true.

Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden I'd ever seen.

Multicolored mushrooms, poisonous shrubs, and weird luminous plants grew without sunlight. Precious jewels made up for the lack of flowers, piles of rubies bigger than my fist, clumps of raw diamonds.

Standing here and there like frozen party guests were Medusa's garden statues-petrified children, satyrs, and centaurs-all smiling grotesquely.

In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, their orange blooms neon bright in the dark.

"The garden of Persephone.", Annabeth said, "Keep walking."

I understood what she was talking about. In the entire duration of the quest, the enhanced senses I had due to my unique ancestry was a huge advantage over others. But at that time, they were a curse. The tart smell of the pomegranates were beckoning me to them promising such a wonderful taste that I would never want anything else. I could feel my mouth watering and my hands itching to pluck a juicy one but I resisted the temptations knowing that one bite was enough for me to be stuck here for eternity.

I could almost imagine the sweet, naive Persephone walking in the garden overjoyed at discovering a place that was so much like her home in the dreary place she was stuck in unaware that it would betray her in the end.

Annabeth and Percy dragged me forward holding my hands in each of theirs looking, for all the world, like two disgruntled parents taking their child away from a toy they felt was inappropriate for her.

We walked up the steps of the palace, between black columns, through a black marble portico, and into the house of Hades. The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which seemed to boil in the reflected torchlight.

Every side doorway was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, some British redcoat uniforms, some camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears or muskets or M-16s. None of them bothered us, but their hollow eye sockets followed us as we walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors at the opposite end.

Two U.S. Marine skeletons guarded the doors. They grinned down at us, rocket-propelled grenade launchers held across their chests.

"Well, guys.", Percy said, "I suppose we should ... knock?"

A hot wind blew down the corridor, and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means entrez-vous," Annabeth said.

I rolled my eyes. What was with brainy girls and French?

We entered the palace to see Hades sitting casually on a throne talking to a tall woman in a dress that was usually worn by the woman of nobility in the middle Ages in England. Due to her different attire, it took me a while to recognise her as...

"Hecate"

She looked at me and gave me a wide smile, a smile I fully returned. I noticed that her smile was only for me. Others were not important enough for her to notice. I admit I felt a little special.

She turned back to Hades and said, "Remember what I said."

"Yes, yes.", Hades spoke dismissively, "The brat is important in your little magical society. So, I will let her go for now."

The next moment, Hecate disappeared in a flash.

He was the third god I had personally met, but the first who really looked godlike.

He was at least ten feet tall and dressed in black silk robes and a crown of braided gold.

He had albino white skin and shoulder-length jet black hair.

His oily black hair and coal black eyes that pull you in like a black hole gave him a resemblance to Snape but unlike my snarky Potions Professor, the guy actually made it look cool and stylish. I wondered whether Snape was a descendant of his. The man loved dungeons and shadows, wore all black and had a dramatic streak a mile wide. He certainly could not be an ordinary mortal wizard.

Hades was not bodybuilder type of a guy like Ares, but he radiated power in spades, pun intended of course.

He lounged on his throne made of fused human bones having human skull fixed at the end of each of the armrests, looking lithe, graceful and dangerous as a panther.

"You know, Percy.", I whispered, "Nico would be really jealous of us right now. He always wanted a Hades mythomagic card. It was the only one he did not have in his collection. Now, we are meeting the god himself."

Even if I was whispering, I knew Hades could hear me easily with the enhanced senses that the gods possessed. There was a brief flicker of emotion on his face which lasted a fraction of a second before it was back to its former state. I would have missed it if I had not been looking for it.

I could guess what he was thinking.

How were they found despite being hidden well? How close were we with both of them? Have we figured out their ancestry? Have we told anyone else about them? How long until Zeus learned of them?

I knew that he would pretend to not hear it as asking us would mean admitting that they were his children which would give us power over him. Yes, uncertainty was a more effective tool in the present case than outright blackmail.

There were a few tricks of trade that could help you win any battle whether it be on a negotiating table or in an arena.

The first was to never let the opponent decide the pace. You should force the opponent to play according to your whims.

The second was to never let the opponent get comfortable. Keep them constantly on their toes.

I achieved both. I knew it was not that easy to beat a master of game like Hades but the first point goes to me.

"You are brave to come here, Son of Poseidon.", he said in an oily voice, "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you are simply very foolish."

Percy stepped forward and said, "Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests."

I winced. While it was a good thing that he did not immediately assume a familial relation, I would have used better terms considering the god's current mood.

Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment was stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out.

The ADHD part of me wondered which ones among them were deceased Death Eaters. It was possible that none of them were important enough to get there yet but I was sure that Tom Riddle already had a place reserved for him there.

"Only two requests?", Hades said, "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead yet."

I saw Percy glance at the empty throne beside Hades as if wishing that Persephone was there to calm her husband down.

I went forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you, Perseus Jackson, give me permission to speak as a representative for our team?", I asked.

I could see that he was confused but he understood that it was important and was willing to go with it.

"Permission granted.", Percy replied and stepped back.

"Thank you", I said giving him a little bow.

Watch and learn, Percy. Watch and learn.

I stepped forward giving a respectful bow of my head.

"I, on behalf of my team, apologise for any disrespect, your Highness. We are here to request your guidance in a matter of great importance.", I said.

"Your Highness?", he asked, cruel amusement colouring his tone.

"We are in your domain, your Highness. You are the king of the land. It is expected of us to greet you that way.", I replied.

"Yet your leader didn't.", he stated in a deceptively soft tone.

The trap. Wow! He was good.

Depending on my response, I might actually impress him slightly or dig all of our graves.

I would have to give a response that could not be interpreted as me blaming someone.

I was nervous but also very excited. I had finally found a worthy opponent. As Annie once said, it was against opponents like those that we know whether we were really good or not.

"Please forgive us for his ignorance, your majesty. As we had to leave on the quest only two weeks after our arrival at the camp, Chiron did not have time to give us the etiquette training. Fortunately for me, I was born in nobility on the mortal side and I had some education, albeit very basic, on formal situations, especially about how to interact with one's superiors.", I replied smoothly.

I heard twin gasps behind me and remembered that I have never mentioned before that I was of noble stock. I would deal with that afterwards.

I intentionally mentioned the arrival at camp rather than knowledge of our godly heritage. Being seen as confrontational would be counterproductive in the present case.

"Speak, child. What do you need my guidance for?", he asked a cruel smile curling at his lips.

"As I am sure you have already learned, your majesty, the master bolt has been stolen.", I said.

"Yes, my little brother seems to enjoy parading the fact that his symbol of power is missing, like a fool.", he said sneering, "Along with his childish finger pointing. God of justice, what a joke."

I cringed. That was the exact words Aura had used.

"We were hoping that you might have heard of a murmur or stray word or some clue as to where the bolt is hidden and would pass it on to us, your majesty. After all, even if your brothers refuse to accept it, everyone knows that you have the best intelligence network of all gods. You have eyes and ears everywhere. You know everything.", I spoke as if I was stating a fact.

I noticed that he was sitting a little more straighter on his throne. It seemed that flattery could really get you anywhere.

"And what would I gain by helping you, child? Why would I want my little brother to get his toy back after all the trouble he gave me?", he asked letting out a growl at the end that caused the ground underneath them to vibrate.

Zeus must have done something really bad if Hades almost lost his composure on merely remembering it. Then again, it was Zeus we were talking about.

I put on my best sympathetic and understanding expression.

"I am afraid that we have nothing to offer you that someone of your power and influence cannot get on your own, your Highness. But, if Zeus doesn't get his symbol of power back by the solstice, there will be a war between your brothers, one in which you will inevitably be dragged into. Forgive me if my frankness insults you but from what I have seen, you are having difficulty accomodating the new subjects that you have gained from the recent mortal wars. Considering that Charon asked us to talk to you about his pay rise, I assume that your staff is quite unhappy with the new workload. Is the Underworld ready for a war between the gods?"

"And she gets it!", the god shouted throwing a hand in the air, "Finally! Someone finally gets it. No, no, I do not need more subjects, child, it's honestly the last thing I need. Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century and a half since the Civil War, how many subdivisions I've had to open?"

I kept quiet and I signalled Percy to do the same when he looked like he was about to answer. It was a rhetorical question anyway.

I had a feeling that the god had been wanting to complain to someone for a long time but nobody had cared. Now that he had an interested audience, he was not going to stop until he tells us everything.

"More security ghouls.", he moaned, "Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, children. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"And don't get me started on Charon!", Hades yelled, "He has been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving."

He paused for a moment and continued, "There have been wars every decade or two since the Civil War that some part of Western Civilisation was involved in. The first World War, the second World War, the Iraq war, the Vietnam war. Then there was the Civil war in your magical society that Hecate was always complaining about. You have already seen the lengths Tom Riddle had gone to evade us. I would have sent my demigods to your society except...I DON'T HAVE ANY TO SEND. The little oath on River Styx that my brothers forced on me ensured that. An oath I had abided by even when my brothers did not have the decency to do the same.", he paused to give Percy a dirty look, "Now, there is a war in Afghanistan with that Osama bin Laden guy. I had told Ares many times to take a break but the idiot warmonger did not listen. No, godlings, I do not need to start a new war to get more subjects."

"Would you perhaps know where the master bolt is?", I asked carefully.

"I do know that you are innocent, child of Artemis.", he said scrunching his nose as if he could not believe what he just said, "Hecate has vouched for you. You actually seem to be one of the few whose existence I can tolerate. Perhaps, you should be more careful about who you trust in the future."

I looked at him in confusion. What did he mean?

Hades then looked directly at Percy, his eyes glowing with power and said, "Oh enough of this farce. Do not act so witless in front of me, Perseus Jackson. Do not pretend for a moment longer that you have done nothing wrong, not after what you have done."

We looked at each other, as clueless as the other. I knew that it was not about interrogating the Furies. He would not have been that angry. Even if he was, it would have been at me not Percy.

"Um ... Uncle," Percy said. "You keep saying 'after what you've done.' What exactly have I done?"

I could the god's power flood the throne room and even spreading outwards from there. The room shook with a tremor so strong, they probably felt it upstairs in Los Angeles. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling. Doors burst open all along the walls, and skeletal warriors marched in, hundreds of them, from every time period and nation in Western civilization. They lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.

"My helm, boy, I want it back."

That single statement hit us like a tower of bricks.

"What?", I asked surprised

Percy recovered and blinked in bewilderment

"Bu-But I don't have your helm!", he told the god.

"Lies!"

More rumbling. Hades rose from his throne, towering over us making us feel insignificant with his very presence.

"Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."

"His plan?", Percy asked a mixture of confusion and anger colourjng his tone.

"You were the thief on the winter solstice.", the lord of the dead said, "Your father thought to keep you his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus. You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thief, and I will have my helm back!"

"But", I blabbered desperately trying to understand how I lost control of the situation, "Why didn't you-"

"Speak of it? Like I had said before child, my little brother may parade the fact around that his is gone, but unlike him, I did not. I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched and lo and behold, I had found myself a child of Poseidon, New York city born and raised.", he

said gesturing his hand to Percy, "When it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

"You didn't try to stop us? But -", Percy was cut off.

"Return my helm now, or I will stop death.", Hades threatened, "That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Perceus Jackson-your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."

I paled. One Voldemort was bad enough. I did not want to think about many unkillable Voldemort-like people roaming freely each with their own zombie army.

The skeletal soldiers all took one step forward, making their weapons ready.

"You're as bad as Zeus.", Percy accused the god, "You think I stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after me?"

"Of course.", Hades spoke as if he had just been asked a stupid question.

"And the other monsters?"

Hades curled his lip.

"I had nothing to do with them. I wanted no quick death for you-I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"Easily?"

"Percy", I said trying to calm him, "If he didn't want us to come here, we could search the entire LA for our whole life and not find the Underworld until our death. My guess is that there are enchantments that ensures that only those who have seen the location marked out on a map can find the place."

"Listen to the girl, godling. She has good sense. Return my property!"

"I don't have your stupid helm! We just want to know where the stupid bolt is!", Percy said his anger only increasing with time.

Hades turned to me with a cruel smirk on his face and said, "If you wanted to find the master bolt, then rather than run around the whole country, you should have just checked your friend's backpack."

"But I didn't!", Percy argued with heat.

"Open your pack, Percy.", I said a horrible feeling rising in my stomach.

He slung it off his shoulder and unzipped it. Inside was a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends, and humming with energy.

"Percy", Annabeth said, "How -"

I stared at the master bolt speechless.

Congratulations Hades, you have won a set.

A set he had already won before I started playing and he was just waiting for me to realise it.

My mood turned sour as I realised that I had been outsmarted by two different gods in a matter of days. The most disappointing thing was that I did not realise it until everything was over.

"You heroes are always the same.", Hades said, "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now ... my helm. Where is it?"

I could feel the holes of puzzle filling in. Everything had just become clear to me. They had been played. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had been set at each other's throats by someone else.

The master bolt had been in the backpack, and it wasn't hard to figure out who had given it to them. He really was much cleverer than I gave him credit for.

"Lord Hades, wait.", Percy stammered out, trying to convince the god of his innocence, "This is all a big mistake."

"A mistake?", Hades roared.

The skeletons aimed their weapons. From high above, there was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. The one with Mrs. Dodds' face grinned at Percy eagerly and flicked her whip anticipating her revenge.

"There is no mistake.", Hades said, "I know why you have come-I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her."

Hades loosed a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of them, and there was Sally Jackson, frozen in a shower of gold, looking as if she was just taking a nap.

Percy was speechless, he tried to reach for her, but the fire burned too greatly.

Seeing the woman who I had only briefly and was starting to respect brought me out of my shock and reminded me of my earlier resolve. The situation was a mess but one that was in my ability to salvage.

The ADHD part of me wondered where Hades had been keeping Percy's mother. Was she merely transfigured into a ball too small to be noticed? Or was she hidden in some pocket dimension only Hades could access? Or was she completely converted into energy?

"Yes.", Hades said with satisfaction, "I took her. I knew, Percy Jackson, that you would come to bargain with me eventually. Return my helmet, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

Percy was looking at his mother with such longing that I felt sad. He looked like he was considering whether there was any way he could get her to safety.

"Ah, the pearls," Hades said suddenly.

I noticed that Percy had a deer-in-the-headlights look. Was he reading our minds?

"Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Percy Jackson."

Percy's hand moved as if it had a life of its own and brought out the pearls.

"Only three.", Hades said, "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. I would know. I was the one who created them as an emergency escape for my children. Your father merely altered it to suit his needs. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."

I inwardly smirked. Hades had just made his first mistake.

Annabeth drew her bronze knife.

"You two go on. Save your mom and return the master bolt. I will cover you and I plan to go down fighting.", she said her face taut with determination.

I knew that she was thinking about the last time a situation like that came up. She did not want another Thalia on her conscience. It was endearing but completely unnecessary.

"Annie, it's Percy's decision. It was the price of the pearls. The curse of choice. Percy, you are the leader. If you want me to stay here, I will. Hecate had already ensured that my stay would be temporary. I am too important to her for some reason.", I said.

"Decide quickly, boy.", Hades snarled.

"I know what to do.", Percy said solemnly, "Take these."

He passed out the pearls to each of them.

Annabeth said, "But, Percy ..."

I understood how hard it was for Percy. I knew that he wanted to sacrifice himself to save her but he understood that he had a job to do and a lot was at stake if he failed.

Percy turned to his mother.

"I'm sorry.", Percy told her longing and regret clear in his voice, "I'll be back. I'll find a way."

I watched with hidden glee as the smug look on Hades' face faded.

He said uncertainly, "Godling ... ?"

"I'll find your helmet, Uncle,", Percy told him, "I'll return it. Remember Charon's pay rise."

"Do not defy me—"

"If I may suggest something, your Highness?"

"Yes", he replied confused.

I gave a hand signal to them to crush the pearl while Hades was distracted. The oldest trick in the book. Keep your opponent occupied with something while doing something else behind our backs.

"There are many in Asphodel Fields who desire a second chance to earn their way into the Elysium. There might be many in Elysium who are bored with the luxurious life and wanted to do something. Enlist them as volunteers to help with the work load. Even if you might have to pay them, it will only be a fraction of the salary for regular employees.", I told him.

It was gratifying to see the look of shock on his face after the day's events. It seemed that I still had it in me to surprise my opponents. I was sure he was trying to find a flaw in my reasoning all the while wondering why he had never thought of it himself.

Soon, the pearl fragments at my feet exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind. I was encased in a milky white sphere, which was starting to float off the ground. Annabeth and Percy were right behind me.

By the time Hades realised what had happened and ordered his forces to attack, our bubbles had already touched the ceiling.

We were still going up, right through solid rock as easily as balloon rising in the air. That was the power of the pearls.

It seemed that the wizards still had quite a lot to learn. True, we could apparate through solid rock as long as we have the destination firmly in mind but our portkeys required an open air atmosphere.

For a few moments, I couldn't see anything outside the smooth walls of my sphere, then my pearl broke through on the ocean floor. The two other milky spheres, Annabeth and Percy, kept pace with me as we soared upward through the water.

We exploded on the surface knocking a surfer off his board with an indignant, "Dude!"

Percy grabbed me first and hauled me onto the lifebuoy. It was good thing too as I did not know how to swim.

He then hauled Annabeth onto the lifebuoy before getting in himself.

Percy then said something to the shark that was circling us that caused it to swim away.

The surfer screamed something about bad mushrooms and paddled away from us as fast as he could.

On seeing the shore, I realised that we were in the Santa Monica Bay.

In the distance, Los Angeles was on fire, plumes of smoke rising from neighborhoods all over the city. There had been an earthquake. It seemed that Hades did not take well to being outsmarted by a twelve year old.

It was time to pay my dues to the other god...with interest.

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	14. Like Grandfather Like Granddaughter

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 14 : Like Grandfather Like Granddaughter

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

X-X-X-X-X

This chapter will be in Iris' Pov unless stated otherwise.

X-X-X-X-X

A Coast Guard boat picked us up, but they were too busy to keep us for long, or to wonder how three kids in street clothes had gotten out into the middle of the bay. There was a disaster to mop up. Their radios were jammed with distress calls.

They dropped us off at the Santa Monica Pier with towels around our shoulders and water bottles that had I'M A JUNIOR COAST GUARD! written on it and sped off to save more people.

Our clothes were soaked with water, even Percy's. It seemed Percy had willed himself to get soaked like us. It was good thinking. Someone would have noticed if he got out of the water completely dry.

After reaching dry land, we stumbled down the beach, exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. I felt the rays of the rising Sun strike me leaching away my remaining strength.

"I don't believe it.", Annabeth said, "We went all that way—"

"It was a trick.", Percy said, "A strategy worthy of Athena."

"Hey," she warned.

"You get it, don't you?"

She dropped her eyes, her anger fading.

"Yeah. I get it."

"Guys, we had already suspected him. But, he still managed to trick us. It was clever of him to change the sheath of the bolt to look like an ordinary backpack and alter the enchantments so that the bolt will only return to it when we arrive at the proximity of Tartarus. Everything was well planned.", I stated.

I had no qualms in appreciating the ingenuity of the opponent. It only made destroying them a much more sweeter proposition.

"Percy ...", Annabeth said, "I'm sorry about your mother. I'm so sorry..."

"Iris, why did you ask me permission to talk to Hades?", Percy asked me.

I knew that he was trying to distract himself from thoughts of his mother and I let him.

"Percy, you are our leader. Interrupting you in front of an outsider is like saying that we have no faith in you as a leader. No one respects a leader who is not respected by his team members. In a society like ours, where everything is about who your parent is, it will be seen as insult to you and your father. If I had been a child of Zeus or Hades, we are at equal positions and it would not be a big deal. But, as I was much below you in the hierarchy, I needed your permission. It is not fair but its the way things are.", I replied.

Percy nodded apparently understanding the point.

"So, the prophecy was right.", Percy said, "You shall go west and face the god who has turned.' But it wasn't Hades. Hades didn't want war among the Big Three. Someone else pulled off the theft. Someone stole Zeus's master bolt, and Hades' helm, and framed me

because I'm Poseidon's kid. Poseidon will get blamed by both sides. By sundown today, there will be a three-way war, something that I am sure would cause that someone much joy."

'That someone' was waiting for us, in his black leather duster and his sunglasses, an aluminum baseball bat propped on his shoulder. His motorcycle rumbled beside him, its head light turning the sand red.

"Hey, kids.", Ares said an expression of fake happiness on his face, "You were supposed to die."

"You tricked us.", Percy said, "You stole the helm and the master bolt."

Ares grinned.

"Well, now, I didn't steal them personally. Gods taking each other's symbols of power-that's a big no-no. But you're not the only hero in the world who can run errands."

"Who did you use? One of the kids you are hiding in your fight club?", Percy asked the warmonger.

The idea seemed to amuse the war god.

"I don't think any of his children are skilled enough to pull off something like that. It has to be a child of Hermes."

I already had a pretty good idea who it was. He certainly fit the profile I made of the thief based on everything I knew. I did not tell Percy but I was there under the Invisibility Cloak listening into their conversation. He became complacent when he believed that the only one looking at him was Percy who was known for his naivety and obliviousness. I would have preferred Percy to not blurt out everything including his dreams but it allowed me to study his reactions and confirm my suspicions. I knew better than to speak about it without evidence to back me up.

"Doesn't matter. The point is, kiddies, you're impeding the war effort. See, you were supposed to die in the Underworld, well both of you were. Artie's little menace was not supposed to survive my challenge. But that's neither here nor there. Then Old Seaweed will be mad at Hades for killing you. Corpse Breath will have Zeus' master bolt, so the Old Man will be angry at him. And Hades is still looking for this ..."

From his pocket he took out a ski cap - the kind bank robbers wear - and placed it between the handlebars of his bike. Immediately, the cap transformed into an elaborate bronze war helmet.

"The helm of darkness.", Annabeth gasped.

"Exactly.", Ares said, "Now where was I? Oh yeah, Hades will be mad at both Zeus and Poseidon, because he doesn't know who took this. Pretty soon, we got a nice little three-way slugfest going."

"But they're your family!", Annabeth protested.

Ares shrugged.

"Best kind of war. Always the bloodiest. Nothing like watching your relatives fight, I always say."

"You had me get the backpack as your test.", Annabeth said, "The master bolt was not in it then."

"Yes and no," Ares said. "It's probably too complicated for your little mortal brain to follow, but the backpack is the master bolt's sheath, just morphed a bit. The bolt is connected to it, sort of like that sword Jackson has. It always returns to his pocket, right?"

I guessed Ares being the War God would instinctively know everything about the weapons.

Well, atleast I knew that I was right.

"Anyway.", Ares continued, "I tinkered with the magic a bit, so the bolt would only return to the sheath once you reached the Underworld. You get close to Hades... Bingo, you got mail. If you died along the way-no loss. I still had the weapon."

"But why not just keep the master bolt for yourself?", Percy asked questioningly, "Why send it to Hades?"

Ares got a twitch in his jaw. For a moment, it was almost as if he were listening to another voice, deep inside his head.

"Why didn't I ... yeah ... with that kind of firepower ..."

He held the trance for one second ... two seconds...

We exchanged nervous looks with each other.

Ares's face cleared.

"I didn't want the trouble. Better to have you caught redhanded, holding the thing."

"You're lying.", Percy argued, a smirk coming to his face, "Sending the bolt to the Underworld wasn't your idea, was it?"

"Of course it was!"

Smoke drifted up from his sunglasses, as if they were about to catch fire.

"You didn't order the theft.", he guessed, "Someone else sent a hero to steal the two items. Then, when Zeus sent you to hunt him down, you caught the thief. But you didn't turn him over to Zeus. Something convinced you to let him go. You kept the items until another hero could come along and complete the delivery. That thing in the pit is ordering you around."

I nodded in agreement. I had reached the same conclusion.

"I am the god of war! I take orders from no one! I don't have dreams!"

The War God had just made a crucial mistake.

"Who said anything about dreams?", I asked.

Ares looked agitated, but he tried to cover it with a smirk.

"Let's get back to the problem at hand, kids. You're alive. I can't have you taking that bolt to Olympus. You just might get those hardheaded idiots to listen, especially with the little witch sweet talking them. If there was anything I learned in the last few days, it was that if you want a job done properly, you should do it yourself. If you give it to someone else, they will mess up everything. So, I have to kill you three. Nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers. The sand exploded at his feet and out charged a wild boar, even larger and uglier than the one whose head hung above the door of cabin five at Camp Half-Blood. The beast pawed the sand, glaring at them with beady eyes as it lowered its razor-sharp tusks and waited for the command to kill.

Percy slowly stepped into the surf.

"Fight me yourself, Ares."

Ares laughed, but I could hear a little edge to his laughter ... an uneasiness.

"You've only got one talent, kid, getting your witch girlfriend to do everything. Face it, she's the talent, you're the help, simple as that. But even with her, you don't have what it takes to fight me."

"Scared?", Percy taunted, using that special talent of his to piss people off.

"In your adolescent dreams.", But his sunglasses were starting to melt from the heat of his eyes, "No direct involvement. Sorry, kids. You're not at my level."

Annabeth said, "Guys, run!"

I saw the giant boar charge at Percy and smirked. Big mistake.

As the boar rushed him, Percy uncapped his pen and sidestepped. Riptide appeared and he slashed upward. The boar's severed right tusk fell at his feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea.

Percy shouted with authority, "Wave!"

Immediately, a wave surged up from nowhere and engulfed the boar, wrapping around it like a blanket. The beast squealed once in terror. Then it was gone, swallowed by the sea.

Percy turned back to Ares.

"Are you going to fight us now?", he asked, "Or are you going to hide behind another pet?"

Ares's face was purple with rage.

"Watch it, kid. I could turn you into -"

"Percy", I said in a mock scolding tone, "You should not challenge someone below your level. Didn't you know that he is the war god because his mummy felt ashamed to have a son who was not good enough to have a domain of his own and used her influence to get him something? So, it's natural that he is scared to fight. After all, his real job is to bring Athena her coffee, fetch her files, basically follow her around...errand boy."

If Ares was angry before, it was nothing compared to how furious he was at present. He was literally shaking in rage. It seemed Aura did a fine job exploiting his weaknesses.

"You want a fight, godlings? You have got one on your hands. Tell me. Am I going to beat you to death together or one after the other?", he asked.

Percy looked at me. I shook my head slightly and tilted my head towards the Sun or more specifically Apollo's chariot moving across the sky. He got my message. I would only be a liability in the fight. He would have to do it on his own. A pity. I felt we made a good team.

"We decided that we do not want the fight to be too easy. So, I will fight you alone. It is time you saw what a real man in action looks like.", Percy told him.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. That would be interesting.

Ares started laughing.

"I have already seen that, godling. I do look in a mirror once in a while. It is a good thing that you chose that option though. After I kill you, I would have enough time to enjoy the spoils properly before I take care of them."

The lecherous look he gave Annabeth and me almost made me reconsider my decision. I also noticed that the comment made him more determined to win.

Ares swung the baseball bat off his shoulder.

"How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"

Percy showed him his sword.

"That's cool, dead boy.", he said, "Classic it is."

The baseball bat changed into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth.

"Percy,", Annabeth said, "Don't do this. He's a god."

"He's a coward.", Percy told her sternly.

"A lecherous bastard.", I said.

She swallowed.

"Wear this, at least. For luck."

She took off her necklace, with her five years' worth of camp beads and the ring from her father, and tied it around his neck.

"Reconciliation.", she said, "Athena and Poseidon together."

Percy's face reddened in embarrassment but he managed to smile.

"Thanks."

I gave him a tight hug and whispered in his ear, "I don't have any luck charm to give you. I will pray to the Goddess of Victory to ensure your victory and even offer to sacrifice to her. I have faith in you, Percy."

There was some dark colouring on his cheeks. That was weird. I was sure that my hug was not that tight.

"You all done saying good-bye?", Ares came toward us, his black leather duster trailing behind him, his sword glinting like fire in the sunrise, "I've been fighting for eternity, kid. My strength is unlimited and I cannot die. What have you got?"

A smaller ego, I thought, but I said nothing. Actions speak louder than words.

Percy kept his feet in the surf, backing away until the water was up to his ankles. I chose that moment to actually pray to the goddess Nike offering a sacrifice on the first meal after I return to the camp.

Ares struck first with a downward cleave but Percy was not there. He used his powers to catapult over the god and slashed as he came down.

I knew that sea water gave him some sort of super powers but it was the first time I was seeing him use the sea like an extra limb. It was cool.

Unfortunately, Ares was just as quick. He twisted and the strike that should have caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his sword hilt.

He grinned.

"Not bad, not bad."

He slashed again forcing Percy to jump onto dry land. I winced. Just when things were going well for us...

Percy tried to get back to water but Ares seemed to have already anticipated that.

He out maneuvered Percy, pressing so hard that he had to put all his concentration on the defence. Say what you would about Luke but I was glad that he worked Percy so hard. With fluid and precise strikes, Ares forced Percy to keep backing away from the surf. The proficiency with which the War God fought left no openings for Percy to attack. His sword had a reach several feet longer than Anaklusmos. I remembered something Annabeth had told me on one of our personal training sections : When your opponent has the weapon with longer range, get in closer and you will be in a more advantageous position.

Perhaps, Luke had taught Percy something similar. Percy stepped inside with a thrust when an opportunity presented itself, but it was merely a bait to lure him into Ares' trap. He knocked the blade away from Percy's hands and gave him the infamous Spartan kick. I cringed slightly at the sound his foot mace when it struck Percy's chest. Percy flew away about fifty feet and crashed into the soft sand of a dune.

I absently noted that a mortal had just summoned the police and was explaining the situation to the officer that had just arrived. That was not as important compared to the fight.

From what I could see of Percy, nothing was broken surprisingly but he was weak and disoriented at the moment, very much vulnerable to an attack from Ares. And attack Ares did. With the speed and strength that made him the war god, he brought his sword above his head and stabbed down, a strike that should have plunged the sword through Percy's forehead if a miracle had not occurred. The bracelet on his wrist glowed slightly before changing into its whip form. As if having a mind of its own, Percy's hand swung the whip quickly having it tie around the descending wrist of Ares. He pulled back the whip so quickly that Ares' wrist twisted forcing him to release his sword. The sword fell on the ground an inch away from his ear. The whip returned to its former position after its job was completed. Nike had given her answer. By saving Percy's life.

There were causterised wounds on the god's wrist. He was looking at it shocked that he had actually been injured.

"I have to admit. It stung slightly.", Ares told them.

I saw Ares picking back his sword and noticed the wounds fading away as if it was never there in the fist place. It seemed that the god's healing capabilities were as good as Percy's in water.

Both fighters had disarmed the other. The fight would have to go on until one side severely injured the other.

Percy was not sitting idle either. The moment Ares was distracted, Percy ran for his sword, scooped it up and launched a swipe at Ares' face but it was deflected again. Ares seemed to know exactly what Percy was going to do before he did it.

Percy stepped back towards the surf forcing the god to follow.

"Admit it, kid.", Ares said, "You got no hope. I'm just toying with you."

I noticed that the fight had drawn a lot of spectators. Most of them were mortals but there were some with the awkward gait of the satyrs and the shimmering figures of the dead. On hearing the sound of flapping bat wings, I knew that Furies had come to watch the show too.

Percy stepped farther into the water, but Ares was fast. The tip of his blade ripped his sleeve and grazed his forearm.

A police voice on a megaphone said, "Drop the guns.' Set them on the ground. Now!"

Guns? So that was what the mortals were seeing.

Ares turned to glare at our spectators, which gave Percy a moment of respite. There were five police cars now, and a line of officers crouching behind them, pistols trained on us.

"This is a private matter!", Ares bellowed, "Be gone."

He swept his hand, and a wall of red flame rolled across the patrol cars. The police barely had time to dive for cover before their vehicles exploded. The crowd behind them scattered, screaming.

Ares roared with laughter.

"Now, little hero. Let's add you to the barbecue."

It was then that I got an idea. I let a trickle of the Moon's power shield my hands and slowly took out the master bolt out of the backpack. I knew that I would have to carefully time everything as using power even at that power would drain my reserves as time went by. I gave both the backpack and my shoulder bag to Annabeth to hold knowing that I would need both my arms free.

"You are not planning what I think you are, are you? It is a bad idea, rainbow.", Annabeth said.

"Hush Annie, this little cylinder has caused us a lot of trouble. It is only fair that he solves atleast one of our problems.", I replied.

"But-"

"As you already mentioned, Ares is a god. We need a godly weapon to beat him. We just happen to have one of the most powerful weapons eager to do the job. Anyway, I believe old grandpa would prefer me using it on Ares to Ares using it to overthrow him."

Annabeth huffed in frustration.

"I can see that you have already made up your mind. I won't bother arguing with you anymore. When things go wrong, remember that I did tell you so.", the blond girl warned me.

"If things go wrong, I will accept the consequences of my actions."

I knew it was a risky move but it was necessary. Percy was doing well for someone with barely two weeks of combat training but the longer the fight went on the more it turned in the war god's favour due to the perks of godhood. Even if Percy did defeat him, it was not like the war god was going to admit it and hand over the helmet. Her childhood was a testament to the fact that the only language the bullies understood was the language of fear and power. The only way in front of them was the complete destruction of Ares.

Ares slashed at him but Percy deflected his blade. Percy soon got close enough to strike and tried to fake him out with a feint, but his blow was knocked aside. The waves were hitting him in the back now. Ares was up to his thighs, wading in after him.

I then noticed the water behind Percy recede. I realised that Percy was holding back the tide by force of will, but tension was building, like carbonation behind a cork.

Ares came toward, grinning confidently. Percy lowered his blade faking exhaustion. The pressure now was almost lifting him off his feet. Ares raised his sword. Percy suddenly released the tide and jumped, rocketing straight over Ares on a wave.

A six-foot wall of water smashed him full in the face, leaving him cursing and sputtering with a mouth full of seaweed.

Percy landed behind him with a splash and feinted toward his head, as he had done before. He turned in time to raise his sword, but this time he was disoriented and did not anticipate the trick. Percy changed direction, lunged to the side, and stabbed Riptide straight down into the water, sending the point through the god's heel.

The roar that followed made Hades's earthquake look like a minor event. The very sea was blasted back from Ares, leaving a wet circle of sand fifty feet wide.

Ichor, the golden blood of the gods, flowed from a gash in the war god's boot. The expression on his face was beyond hatred. It was pain, shock, complete disbelief that he'd been wounded again.

It was my cue. I aimed the master bolt at the newly created wound, pushed my magic into it willing it to discharge its electricity. My aim was not perfect but luckily the master bolt shifted automatically to correct my error. The electric discharge was so powerful that I felt myself almost choking at the high concentration of ozone in our surroundings even after I had stopped. Ares was shaking all over, his bulletproof vest melted off into a puddle on the ground, smoke coming from all over his body carrying around the scent similar to that of burnt flesh.

It looked like he had been microwaved from inside out, I thought smugly.

I was glad that I decided to shield my hands. The high power drainage was a good enough price to prevent my palms vapourising to such an extent as to expose the bones underneath. But, by the way my hands were shaking slightly, I knew that I did not completely get away unscathed.

I then noticed he was moving, albeit slowly. That would not do. I moved to an appropriate position, assessed the correct angle and threw the master bolt at the widened wound like a javelin.

The next thing I knew, I was flying backwards. I smashed my back on the ground thanking the fates for landing me on the sand. I got up groggily to see that I was not the only one send back flying by the generated shockwave. And they were not happy about it.

I could not blame them. They looked like they had just survived a thunderstorm. Their clothes were askew with many tears on them, their hair would make them perfect role models for the switch ads, even Annabeth's princess curls had turned straighter and more spiky. I had a feeling that I looked similar or even worse.

Seeing Annabeth glaring at me, I asked, "Where is the war god?"

We looked around but we could not find him. On his previous location, there was a crater deeper than we were tall. When we looked inside it, we found what looked like a partly burned stump of a leg in water.

I smirked. I would love to see Ares mocking Hepheastus when he was a leper himself.

We then noticed that the sea nearby seemed more yellowish in colour and soon realised that it was Ares' ichor. We followed the trial to find a partially immersed body on water.

"Well, the other guy looks much worse than us.", I stated.

"Much much worse.", Percy agreed.

Even if he did not say it, I knew that he was grateful for my interference.

Annabeth tried to keep up a stern face but the edge of her lips twitching into a smile that was harder to hide as time went by.

We noticed the bubbles around the body rise up to form a group of...bizzare beings. The leader was a stately looking woman who gave a new meaning to the term exotic beauty. The woman had blue tinted skin, an aristocratic face, thin eyebrows, blue eyes that reminded me of the calm sea, luscious black hair that fell down to her back and horns shaped like the crab's claws. She was wearing a gown that put the so called figure hugging dresses to shame when it came to showing off her shapely figure. The dress looked like it was made of sea itself and even wavered in a motion similar to that of the waves. She was wearing a beautiful circlet just above her forehead and carried a staff in her hands which had the design of a merboy carrying a plate above his head with his fish tail circling around it. There was a glowing blue coloured crystal fixed atop the staff to make it like the merboy was carrying it on his plate. I assumed it was one that was only found under the sea as I had never seen or heard of such a crystal before. She was standing on a cart that was driven by the sea horses, I think they were called hippocampi or something. It seemed I had just met Amphritite, the Queen of the Seas.

I could recognise the second in command as the guy with dolphin head, someone I assumed to be Delphin.

The others were as far as I could see, mermen.

The sea turned the body around to reveal a broken and unconscious Ares. Amphritite poked him to see whether he would really get up. It must be simple coincidence that she ended up poking, with the spiked end, a part that was very important to all the males of all species.

Once she was sure that the war god was unconscious, Delphin cuffed his hands and tied the cuffs to the chariot. Amphritite turned towards us and waved, a wave I gladly returned. No words were spoken nor were they necessary. The message was quite clear : Move along children. The war god would be enjoying our hospitality for a while.

Everyone got on to the chariot and it sped away dragging Ares through the sea.

I had a feeling that he was not going to get 5 star or, as they might say under the sea, five star fish accommodations. Then again, being the war god, he might see his time being the POW as the next great adventure.

I idly wondered why Poseidon would go after others when he had that woman as his wife. I did not know much about things like that but even I could see that she was a rare gem even among the celestial deities.

Then again, I did not pretend to understand what goes on in their heads.

"Is it just me or was she really...", Percy asked.

"I believe she is.", I replied.

I could understand his disbelief. After hearing tales of Heracles' life over camp fire and how Hera took every opportunity to make his life miserable, it was shocking to see a stepmother so friendly and cool. Then again, Percy did give her a good gift, perhaps the only gift she had ever gotten from a demigod.

Annabeth meanwhile checked the backpack to ensure that the master bolt had returned and put it on her shoulders.

"I am holding on to this just to stay on the safe side.", she said giving me a pointed look and I knew that I was still in trouble.

The moment Percy picked up the helmet, the Furies descended from the sky and hovered in front of him.

I wondered whether our little interrogation had scared them enough that they did not dare standing on a solid ground in our presence.

The middle Fury, the one Percy had always called Mrs. Dodds, moved forward. Her fangs were bared but for once she didn't look threatening.

"We saw the whole thing.", she hissed, "So ... it truly was not you?"

Percy tossed her the helmet which she caught in surprise.

"Return that to Lord Hades.", Percy said, "Tell him the truth. Tell him to call off the war."

She hesitated then ran a forked tongue over her green, leathery lips.

"Live well, Percy Jackson. Become a true hero. And more importantly, keep the girl in line. Because if you do not, if you ever come into my clutches again…"

She cackled as if she was savouring the idea but I could tell that there was no malice in it. Then she and her sisters rose on their bat wings, fluttered into the smoke-filled sky, and disappeared.

I shook my head in amusement. It seemed that her little stint as a maths teacher had more influence on her than I assumed. Now that her viewpoint was no longer clouded by Percy's non-existent guilt, she took on the role of a teacher, albeit a strict one, giving valuable advice to her student.

I had been a little occupied in my thoughts that it took a while for me to realise that something was wrong. Everything was quiet, a little too quiet. I was naturally worried. In the wild, the only time that level of silence existed was when the apex predator was out for the hunt.

I looked around and realized that everything in the beach was still except me. It was as if I was watching a movie and someone pressed the pause button. I saw Percy with his mouth open as if he was talking when he was frozen. I even saw the ball that a kid had thrown stay still in the air. Even the Sun seemed much dimmer as if it was ill and I could no longer feel its rays on my skin as if they had collapsed midway in exhaustion.

I groaned. I knew who was responsible and I did not want to deal with him. Unfortunately, you couldn't get everything you wish. I soon felt a presence touching my mind.

**It seems I am not the only one making a comeback. Interesting.**, said a voice that seemed to encompass and consume everything.

**I don't know what you are talking about.**, I said.

He laughed, a terrible mind numbing laughter that sent chills down my spine.

**Oh! You do. There is no point in lying now. I recognized your power, Selene. Do you really prefer going down with the weaklings over fighting for me and getting a top position in the new regime. Unless...**

I cringed. Now that I think of it, the atmosphere near the Tartarus must have diminished my intelligence. What was I thinking when I decided to show off those powers?

**Selene has faded away a long time ago.**, I mumbled trying to sound brave and failing.

**Yes! I can see that now. It says quite a lot about my children, isn't it, that I am considering you, a mere mortal girl, as the greatest threat to me.**

If it was possible for me to pale in here, wherever here was, I was sure I did. I just got the personal attention of the Titan Lord and not in a good way.

**Celebrate today's victory, demigod but remember that you might have won a battle but I have already won the war. I am merely waiting for the foolish Olympians to realise it. Play your games, little one. It makes the wait more interesting. **

The next thing I knew everything was going on as usual. Everyone was behaving as if nothing had happened, everyone except me. I was breathing heavily and my hands were shaking. I tried to calm down but it was not working.

Even from the little bit of his true power he had revealed, I knew that it was way beyond my comprehension. Trying to understand it would sent me into the kind of mental breakdown that even Mr. D could not cure. It was from a guy who was supposed to be chopped up into many pieces.

I wanted to believe that I was just imagining things but I knew better.

"Are you OK?"

Funnily enough, it was Percy who asked me that. Both were looking at me worried and I knew that I did not hide it well enough.

"It is alright, guys. I guess everything has just caught up with me.", I replied not sounding like my usual confident self.

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other as if they were communicating with their eyes. They then simultaneously came at me from both sides and engulfed me in a hug. I would have felt embarrassed later but at that moment I threw away my pride and clung onto them like a child clinging on to her parents and soaked up all the comfort. I could feel myself relaxing, my hands had stopped shaking and my breaths evened out. We eventually seperated when they felt I would do well on my own.

"We have to get back to New York.", Percy said, "By tonight."

"That's impossible.", Annabeth said, "unless we—"

"Fly.", Percy completed her statement.

She stared at him.

"Fly, like, in an airplane, which you were warned never to do lest Zeus strike you out of

the sky, and carrying a weapon that has more destructive power than a nuclear bomb?"

"Not exactly.", I said startling them both.

"You know that most of the godly children of Zeus, especially Olympians, can't fly on their own. Apollo has his sun chariot, my mother moon chariot, Hermes has his flying sneakers and I think Athena turns into an owl.", I then pointed at the motorcycle, "Ares has his motorcycle and I have a feeling that he is not exactly going to object to us using it."

Annabeth sighed.

"I suppose you know how to ride it."

"I do know a thing or two about it. How hard can it be anyway?", I asked causing him to roll their eyes.

X-X-X-X-X

Just so you know, Iris, as the daughter of the Hunt, can access the threat potential of others. So, she can detect a god in disguise depending on how good they are though she will only know who it is if she is familiar with them. The downside, as you saw, was the panic attack on meeting someone with high threat potential.


	15. The Quest Completed

**POTTER FILES : THE LIGHTNING THIEF**

Chapter 15 : The Quest Completed

X-X-X-X-X

Disclaimer : I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.

Note : The timeline of the HP universe has been changed to fit PJO universe. Some slight changes have been made to HP canon to fit girl Harry. So, Iris (fem!Harry) Potter was born on 31 July 1993 and COS happened in 2005-2006.

X-X-X-X-X

This chapter will be in Iris' Pov unless stated otherwise.

X-X-X-X-X

Mortals, they really were weird beings, only accepting their own reality of things. Then again, Hecate did some amazing work with the Mist.

According to the L.A. news, the explosion at the Santa Monica beach had been caused when the mad terrorist threw a grenade at a police car.

The crazy guy, Ares, was the same man who had abducted poor little Percy Jackson and two other adolescents in New York and brought them across country on a ten-day odyssey of terror.

The Grey Hound bombing? Merely the terrorist sending a message to the law enforcement. The blowing up of the Arch? Why, the crazy man of course! People were wondering how they could not remember seeing him.

Then that waitress in Denver had seen the terrible man threaten the young abductees outside the diner she worked at. Finally, brave Percy Jackson(I almost lost my poor victim face) had stolen a gun from their captor in Los Angeles and battled him shotgun-to-rifle on the beach. Police had arrived just in time. But the terrorist, on seeing that he was about to be caught, activated the bomb he was carrying on his person trying to take the children with him to their deaths. Miraculously, they escaped with minimum injuries. Percy Jackson and his three friends were safely in police custody.

The reporters fed us that story. We just nodded and acted tearful and exhausted (which

was not hard) and played victimized kids for the cameras.

The crowd was eating out of my hands as I spoke to the reporters. Naturally, I did not forget to tell them about how the terrorist was too interested in Annabeth and me. It was a pity that Ares would not return early enough to learn about it.

Percy gave a moving speech about his disgusting stepfather and told them that the man would give free appliances if enough people rallied money for them to get a plane ride back to New York. Wow, I never knew he had it in him. Not that it mattered much as the whole collection thing was merely a decoy.

It was when I got onto the motorcycle that I noticed another flaw in my plans. It certainly had nothing to do with me being short and everything to do with the motorcycle being made for an adult god. Really. I could not reach the gear lever when I was sitting. I patted everywhere hoping to find some secret button that would reduce its size to my level. I somehow ended up changing it into a Scooty which was coloured bright pink. I felt embarrassed but I threw away my pride after noticing that the Scooty was my size. Beggars could not be choosers. Atleast, I now knew why Aphrodite was dating Ares.

I took off once I had a decent idea about what all the buttons and levers were for. The warming charms ensured that we would not have to worry about frost bite during the journey. Despite my tired state, I had ended up with the driving duty as I was the one who had the most experience in flying on enchanted objects. From the way they were clinging, I had a feeling that it was not the only reason for their refusal.

They were initially some turbulence but a casual mention by me that we might, in our tired state, lose hold over the master bolt ensured a free path for us after that.

I did not know whether it was the time difference, the large travel distance or my lethargic state due to the day time but when we arrived at Manhattan, the Sun was close to setting.

As tired as I was, it did not stop me from smirking in amusement at the sight of Percy on his knees peppering the solid ground with kisses as if it was his long lost girlfriend.

"Percy, hurry. We are very close to the time limit as it is.", Annabeth said.

"What?"

We sighed together in exasperation.

"Percy, Ancient Greeks used a Sun based calendar. So, the Summer solstice officially ends the moment the Sun sets.", I told him.

By his widening eyes and paling face, I knew he understood the situation.

I parked the Scooty in a shadowy alcove nearby and we ran into the lobby of the Empire State Building.

We must have looked like homeless kids, with their tattered clothes and their cuts and bruises. Also, we had not slept in at least twenty-four hours.

Annabeth pointed to the security desk and led us there. We stood in front of the desk man.

"Iris Potter, daughter of Artemis.", I pointed at my companions, "Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon and Annabeth, daughter of Athena. Six hundredth floor please."

Perhaps, I should have let Percy handle it as per the protocol but I was not in the mood to care. Protocols would mean nothing if the war was already declared by the time we reached them.

"No such floor, kiddies."

He did not even bother to look up from the book when he spoke as if we were not important enough. It made me want to smash his face onto the desk. My irritation mounted further when I recognized the book he was reading. Just when I thought I had seen the last of that idiot Lockhart...

I wondered for a moment whether Lockhart was Aphrodite's son or legacy. He had to be. He did more primping and gossiping in a day than Parvati and Lavender did in a year and that was saying something. It was obvious that the moron had no skills or any redeeming qualities.

That creep took every opportunity to feel me up but I kept reminding him of the consequences...painfully. To my surprise, I was one of the few exceptions. Most of the girls looked at him as if he was the second coming of Merlin and seemed to be awed by the cow dung coming out of his mouth. Even my usually level headed best friend Hermione had been infected.

Then there was his Valentine's Day celebrations. He made an already bad day worse. I shuddered remembering seeing pink everywhere and dwarves dressed like cupids. I would rather have faced the hybrid creature again than endure an extra minute of that torture.

Considering that he used the memory wipe spell freely to get the fame and glory he did not deserve, it was quite possible that he used them on many women to escape the consequences of his actions. How many Hogwarts girls were walking around unaware of their lost virtue? I would have worried about myself if I did not know that I was too high profile for him to risk it. Of course, I had Madame Pomfrey confirm it just in case.

So, I did not feel bad about trying to use him as the bait for the Slytherin's beast. Let him be useful for the first time in his life.

The plan did not proceed as I expected but justice was served in the end. It was a poetic justice indeed.

"We need an audience with Zeus."

He gave me a vacant smile. "Sorry?"

"You heard me."

Anyone with half a brain would have recognised the danger signs in my tone but apparently the guy in front of me was not part of the group.

"No appointment, no audience, kiddo. Lord Zeus doesn't see anyone unannounced."

Before anyone could react, I took out the master bolt and released a slight spark to incinerate the Lockhart book. The guy threw away the book as fast as he could and held his hands up in a surrender pose, his face turning pale.

"I am sure you understand now that he is expecting us.", I said.

He scrambled out of his seat, fumbled around his desk for a key card and then handed it to me.

"Insert this in the security slot. Make sure nobody else is in the elevator with you."

"I am glad we finally came to an understanding.", I replied giving him a smile that caused him to shudder.

After I returned the master bolt to its sheath while skilfully evading Annabeth's nagging, we entered the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, I slipped the key into the slot. The card disappeared and a new button appeared on the console, a red one that said 600. I pressed it and we felt the lift take off.

After some time of horrible music, the elevator doors finally slid open. I was shocked at the sight in front of me.

We were standing on a narrow stone walkway in the middle of the air. Below us was New York, from the height of an airplane.

In front of us, white marble steps wound up the spine of a cloud, into the sky. My eyes followed the stairway to its end, where an equally shocking sight awaited me.

From the top of the clouds rose the decapitated peak of a mountain, its summit covered with snow. Clinging to the mountainside were dozens of multileveled palaces-a city of mansions-all with white-columned porticos, gilded terraces, and bronze braziers glowing with a thousand fires. Roads wound up in a serpentine way to the peak, where the largest palace gleamed against the snow.

There were precariously perched gardens with olive trees and rosebushes. I could make out an open-air market filled with colorful tents, a stone amphitheater built on one side of the mountain, a hippodrome and a coliseum on the other.

It was, for all hints and purposes, an Ancient Greek city without considering the fact that it wasn't in ruins. It was new, clean and colorful, the way Athens must have looked three thousand years ago.

I wished the people of my magical society could see it. Then they would realise that we mortal sorcerers still had a long way to go rather than walk around so convinced about our supremacy. For the record, I was certainly not talking about the males (I assume) having platinum blond hair or the one who always wore a lime green bowler hat.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?", Annabeth said smiling, "This is my tenth time here and I am still awed."

"Yeah", Percy replied dazed.

"It would make a good model to base our plans on.", I replied.

By the gleam in her eyes, I knew that Annabeth was already going through everything with a critical eye noting the pros and cons of every feature.

My trip through Olympus took an interesting turn.

The previously giggling wood nymphs bowed to me as I passed them as if I was the Queen herself. It was good to be the daughter of Artemis.

Hawkers in the market offered to sell us ambrosia-on-a-stick, a new shield, and a genuine glitter-weave replica of the Golden Fleece, as seen on Hephaestus-TV. I decided to inquire with Percy about our stock of drachmas after our present business was over. I was not a shopping freak like girls usually tended to be but I could see many items that would look good in my collection.

The nine muses were tuning their instruments for a concert in the park while a small crowd gathered-satyrs and naiads and a bunch of good-looking teenagers who I assumed were the minor gods and goddesses. Nobody seemed worried about an impending civil war. In fact, everybody seemed in a festive mood, as if they already knew about our success. I guess travelling in Zeus' domain carrying his symbol of power was as good as announcing our success.

We climbed the main road, toward the big palace at the peak. It was a reverse copy of the palace in the Underworld.

There, everything had been black and bronze. Here, every thing glittered white and silver.

I deduced that Hades must have built his palace to resemble that one. He was not welcome in Olympus except on the winter solstice, so he built his own Olympus underground.

Suddenly, Olympus did not seem that great anymore. Underneath all the glitter and shine, it was not that different from their mortal counterparts as the beings that walk the halls were so blinded by their arrogance and their inherent belief in their superiority to care about the dangerous enemies they were making.

The steps led up to a central courtyard and then the throne room.

Just before we entered it, a guy in a Fed-Ex like uniform carrying a phone in his hand appeared in front of us where there was only thin air before.

"Annabeth Chase", he said momentarily looking up from the phone.

We looked at her unsure as to how to handle the present situation.

"Yes, Lord Hermes."

"Your mother is expecting you.", he replied and vanished.

None of us were stupid enough to not know of the word 'now' that was unspoken but understood.

We looked at each other uncertainly. We had initially intended on presenting a united front to the gods. Zeus might expect only Percy but he had not forbidden us from accompanying him. It would send a strong message.

Ignoring the summons would mean making an enemy of the goddess for no reason. Letting her go would mean sending the opposite message.

"Annabeth, go talk to your mother. We will handle it.", Percy revealed his decision.

Annabeth looked conflicted as if she was fighting an internal battle of her own.

"The last time I believed your words and left you both with each other, you fought Chimera and Echidna while I was outside biting my nails in worry."

She looked at both of us scrutinising us and sighed.

"Just take care, guys. If I don't find you both alive when I return, I will go on another quest to the Underworld and bring you both back alive just so I can personally torture you to death.", Annabeth said while handing the bag to Percy.

I hoped it was due to Percy being the leader rather than her not trusting me with the master bolt. Though by the way she looked at me when she handed it to him, I knew that it was an empty hope.

She then surprised us by hugging us simultaneously and left.

X-X-X-X-X

We entered the throne room. Well, it was more of a hall than a room, an extremely large hall. Massive columns rose to a domed ceiling, which was gilded with moving constellations.

Twelve thrones, built for beings scaling twelve feet, were arranged in an inverted U, just like the cabins at Camp Half-Blood. An enormous fire crackled in the central hearth pit. The thrones were empty except for two at the end: the head throne on the right, and the one to its immediate left.

We did not have to be told who the gods awaiting our arrival were. We slowly approached them.

The gods were in giant human form, as Hades had been.

Zeus, the King of the Gods, wore a dark blue pinstriped suit. He sat on a simple throne of solid platinum. He had a well-trimmed beard, marbled gray and black like a storm cloud. His face was proud and handsome and grim, his eyes stormy gray.

As I got nearer to him, the air crackled and smelled of ozone. It reminded me of the moment after I electrocuted Ares. Ah! Good times, indeed.

The god sitting next to him was without a doubt his brother but he was dressed very differently. While Zeus' dress sense resembled a CEO of a multi national company, Poseidon's resembled a guy vacationing in a tropical beach.

He wore leather sandals, khaki Bermuda shorts, and a Tommy Bahama shirt with coconuts and parrots all over it.

His skin was deeply tanned and his hands scarred like an old-time fisherman's. His hair was black like Percy's. His face even had that same brooding look that Percy had.

But his sea green eyes, Percy's eyes, were surrounded by sun-crinkles as if he smiled a lot.

I had met many men, some who could be considered handsome. But, Poseidon was on a much higher level. If that was what Percy grows up to be, beating away the fan girls with a stick would be a full time job for me. Hurray!

His throne was a deep-sea fisherman's chair. It was the simple swiveling kind, with a black leather seat and a built-in holster for a fishing pole. Instead of a pole, the holster held a bronze trident flickering with green light around the tips, the same bronze trident that was part of Percy's symbol of claiming.

The gods were not moving or speaking but there was tension in the air as if they had just finished an argument. I could feel the residue of the power let out by them during the moments of heightened emotional state.

Percy approached the fisherman's throne and knelt at his feet.

"Father."

Zeus spoke, "Should you not address the master of this house first, boy?"

Percy kept his head down stubbornly and waited while I knelt in front of Zeus' throne myself.

I sighed. I could understand his predicament. Percy made the best decision considering the circumstances.

The protocol expected him to greet Zeus first, then his father and then his patron(s), if any. But, following the protocol in the present situation would be seen as him preferring Zeus over his father. It would show Percy as an untrustworthy person, a traitor.

Not following the protocol would show him as a someone with no respect for their culture and traditions, one of the worst things to happen in a society ruled by beings who had been in power for eons.

It was a difficult decision and Percy chose the lesser evil.

"Peace, brother.", Poseidon finally said, "The boy defers to his father. This is only right."

"You still claim him then?", Zeus asked menacingly, "You claim this child whom you sired against our sacred oath?"

You talk a lot for a god who was the first one to break the said oath, I thought viciously.

"I have admitted my wrongdoing.", Poseidon said, "Now I would hear him speak."

I winced. That would crush Percy's spirit. Atleast, now I know where Percy got his tactlessness from.

Well, I hoped he was not being cruel on purpose. If Amphitrite could acknowledge the bastard son of her husband for his efforts, why couldn't his own father do the same? Then again, I did not know Poseidon very well.

Poor Percy looked like he was wishing he had just stayed back in the Underworld. I squeezed his hand to show my support.

"I have spared him once already.", Zeus grumbled, "Daring to fly through my domain ... pah! I should have blasted him out of the sky for his impudence."

"And risk destroying your own master bolt?", Poseidon asked calmly, "Let us hear him out, brother."

Zeus grumbled some more.

"I shall listen.", he decided, "Then I shall make up my mind whether or not to cast this boy down from Olympus."

"Perseus," Poseidon said, "Look at me."

Percy looked up at his father searching his face for something. Acknowledgement? Acceptance? Respect?

"Address Lord Zeus, boy.", Poseidon told me, "Tell him your story."

It was weird kneeling in front of these powerful immortals and being ignored due to being unimportant in comparison. The prideful part of me was sulking while the survivor part of me was relieved.

Percy told Zeus everything just as it had happened. The look on Zeus' face when Percy arrived at the part where I used the master bolt on Ares was priceless.

"YOU USED MY MASTER BOLT!"

Jeez, no need to shout. I am right in front of you and can hear you perfectly. My poor eardrums, I thought rubbing my ears.

I was about to give a flowery speech that would ensure that I would seen as the hero when Poseidon spoke up for me.

"Surely, you are not thinking of punishing her, brother.", he said, "She did what she did so that they could return the bolt to you. They were facing an Olympian god after all. Had Ares defeated them and retaken the bolt, today would have been his crowning as the new King of Gods."

Go Poseidon! Strike at his weakness.

Zeus turned to his brother and shouted, "It's not about why the girl used my bolt, Poseidon, which is a matter I will soon address. It is the fact that she was able to do it. The master bolt is a weapon made for immortals. No mortal can use it. My demigod children might be able to create a spark but never as good as she did."

Poseidon's face showed that he was surprised it had not occurred to him. Both of them turned to me in an identical way with similar expressions on their faces. I would have savoured the sight if I had not been shocked myself.

"It's impossible...unless...", Zeus muttered.

"It seems that we have an important matter to discuss in the next meeting and my daughter has a lot of answers left to give us.", he said.

By the way he talked, I knew that he knew about it. On noticing Percy's look, I mouthed 'later' to him.

Percy continued on until the end. Funnily, both of them were surprised on hearing about Ares being arrested. I guessed Poseidon ceded control of the sea to his wife whenever he had business above it and was only informed if something really dire happened.

"Poseidon, tell your wife to return Ares to us at once.", Zeus ordered.

Poseidon had an amused smile on his face, a smile of a shark that just spotted an unsuspecting fish. I smirked knowing what was coming. As laid back as he might have seemed, Poseidon did not remain as the ruler of a large and powerful kingdom with out knowing how to be ruthless.

"Ares broke many Ancient Laws, brother. He not only intruded into my domain without bothering to ask for permission but he also tried to kill someone who was equivalent of a citizen according to the Atlantean laws as Percy was under the protection of both the Queen and myself. It is a big diplomatic issue now but if you want, we can meet later to discuss the terms of extradition."

Zeus relented even though he did not look happy about doing it. I guessed he had been playing the game of politics long enough to know that proceeding further would give Poseidon the power to dictate terms.

"It is not necessary.", he grumbled, "Just return him in a good enough condition so that he can face justice here at Olympus."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. Surely, he did not just say that. From what I could see, Zeus was not in a position to throw barbed insults at his brother.

It was interesting though to see how the omission of a small word like 'too' could convey an entirely different meaning. The pitfalls of politics.

I had a feeling that Ares would be the one to pay for the insult, not that I mind.

"If that's what you want, brother.", Poseidon replied.

While there was no insult in the sentence itself, the way he said it made Zeus look like a child giving outlandish excuses to justify his poor grades. From the look on Zeus' face, I knew that he noticed it too.

Percy then took out the metal cylinder, which began sparking in the Sky God's presence eager to return to his master, and laid it at his feet.

There was a long silence, broken only by the crackle of the hearth fire.

Zeus opened his palm. The lightning bolt flew into it.

As he closed his fist, the metallic points flared with electricity, until he was holding what looked more like the classic thunderbolt, a twenty-foot javelin of arcing, hissing energy that made the hairs on my scalp rise.

"I know the boy is telling the truth but why would Ares do such a thing? It is most unlike him.", Zeus muttered.

"He is proud and impulsive.", Poseidon said, "It runs in the family."

"Lord?", Percy asked.

"Yes?", they asked simultaneously, brothers until the end.

"Ares didn't act alone. Someone else-something else- came up with the idea."

Percy described his dreams, and the feeling he had about the being in it.

"In the dreams," Percy spoke, "the voice told me to bring the bolt to the Underworld. Ares hinted that he'd been having dreams, too. I think he was being used, just as I was, to start a war."

"You are accusing Hades, after all?", Zeus asked.

"No.", Percy said, "I mean, Lord Zeus, I've been in the presence of Hades. This feeling was different. It was the same thing I felt when I got close to that pit. That was the entrance to Tartarus, wasn't it? Something powerful and evil is stirring down there ... something even older than the gods."

Poseidon and Zeus looked at each other. They had a quick intense discussion in Ancient Greek of which I understood every word surprisingly.

Poseidon wanted to inform everyone about Kronos rising and prepare for the war but Zeus cut him off. Poseidon tried again to make him see sense but Zeus held up his hand stubbornly.

"We will speak of this no more.", Zeus interrupted.

It was then that I came to another realisation. The power given off by the two divine entities was enough to terrify a demigod but I was not intimidated. It gave me the feeling of comfort, safety, comradeship. I was thinking like Selene.

I vowed to be more careful from then on. How long it would be before I underestimate a dangerous foe to my peril because it was not really a threat to a Titaness?

"I must go personally to purify this thunderbolt in the waters of Lemnos, to remove the human taint from its metal."

He rose and looked at us. His expression softened just a fraction of a degree.

"You have done me a service, children. Few heroes could have accomplished as much."

His statement took me by surprise. It seemed I was not just a wall flower any more.

Percy looked to be about to say something but he never got the chance.

"To show you my thanks, I shall spare your life. I do not trust you, both of you. I do not like what your arrival means for the future of Olympus. But for the sake of peace in the family, I shall let you live...despite my better judgement."

"Thank you, my lord."

"Do not presume to fly again, Perseus Jackson. Keep far away from my lighting bolts, Iris Potter. Do not let me find either of you here when I return. Otherwise you shall taste this bolt. And it shall be your last sensation."

Thunder shook the palace. With a blinding flash of lightning, Zeus was gone.

"Your uncle", Poseidon sighed, "has always had a flair for dramatic exits. I think he would've done well as the god of theater."

An uncomfortable silence.

"Now that the wet blanket is gone, you can speak freely.", he then looked at me and said, "All protocols and customs are dispensed until you leave."

Wet blanket, huh? That's quite appropriate.

"Sir," Percy said, "what was in that pit?"

Poseidon regarded me. "Have you not guessed?"

"Kronos.", Percy said, "The king of the Titans."

I winced. Even in the throne room of Olympus, far away from Tartarus, the name Kronos darkened the room, made the hearth fire seem not quite so warm on my back.

Poseidon gripped his trident.

"In the First War, Percy, Zeus cut our father Kronos into a thousand pieces, just as Kronos had done to his own father, Ouranos. Zeus cast Kronos's remains into the darkest pit of Tartarus. The Titan army was scattered, their mountain fortress on Etna destroyed, their monstrous allies driven to the farthest corners of the earth. And yet Titans cannot die, any more than we gods can. Whatever is left of Kronos is still alive in some hideous way, still conscious in his eternal pain, still hungering for power."

"He's healing.", Percy said, "He's coming back."

Poseidon shook his head.

"From time to time, over the eons, Kronos has stirred. He enters men's nightmares and breathes evil thoughts. He wakens restless monsters from the depths. But to suggest he could rise from the pit is another thing."

"I have a confession to make, Lord Poseidon.", I said.

"Speak."

I told him everything about the encounter at the beach. His face turned paler and the trident in his hands began to shake.

"It's bad enough to hear that he is rising. If he is already that powerful..."

Poseidon was silent for a long time.

"Lord Poseidon", I said, " If you permit, I will leave and let you catch up with your son."

He did not give any sign that he heard me and I took that as my cue to leave.

I was five steps away when he called, "Iris"

I turned.

"You stood by my son during the difficult times and helped him prove his innocence. For that, you have my thanks.", he said.

I noticed that he did not mention Annabeth at all. I decided to ignore it. If the gods wanted to spar with their egos, it was not our business. We would not let it affect our friendship.

"Percy is my friend. If he is in trouble, I will help him out.", I replied.

That's it. No long drawn out speech. No use of complex terms whose meaning nobody knows. Just a simple statement that conveyed the necessary meaning.

"I am glad to hear that. I know that you have a destiny of your own in your magical society. The colony of mermen in the lake near your school are descendants of my mermen who chose to stay there when we decided to pull out. They don't owe me any allegiance but they do respect me. They will support you in your endeavours as will the Lady of the Lake."

"The Lady of the Lake?", I asked surprised.

Poseidon had an amused smile on his face.

"You would have already met her. Celeste was always fond of children.", he said wistfully, "From what I've heard, she usually remains in her squid form most of the time."

I opened my mouth and closed it back. It at least explained how the friendly, playful squid had managed to survive in the fresh water.

"I am grateful for your generosity and will accept your gift with honour, Lord Poseidon. I guess I should keep her away from Percy though if the ease with which he had the Nereid of yours wrapped around his finger was any indication. Then again, it's to be expected considering who his father is."

I winked at Percy and left with a smirk on my face knowing that he would soon be grilled by an enthusiastic father. What can I say? I am a Potter till the end.

Well, I hoped Poseidon would take the icebreaker I left out. I did not want Percy spending the rest of his life wondering whether his father cared about him or not.

X-X-X-X-X

I walked along the white streets feeling none of the tiredness I had felt on arrival. It seemed the Sun has finally set. As I arrived at the market, two jovial looking blonde guys, who were standing by the lollipop shop, called out to me.

One was short, more elfish, had lighter hair and was dressed like a busy businessman, complete with small rectangular glasses resting on his nose and a bluetooth device in his ear.

The other was tall, tanned and had hair that was kissed by the sun, dressed casually in jeans and a T-shirt, sunglasses hiding his eyes. It seemed that I have just found the perfect antithesis of Snape.

"Look who it is, Hermes.", the taller guy said.

"Artie's little girl herself.", the other guy replied.

I rolled my eyes and said, "I am not that little."

"Do you know who we are?", they asked simultaneously.

I pointed at the shorter guy and said, "You are the guy who sent Annabeth off to her mother and ignored us."

"Hey! That was not me. It was my assistant. I am the friendly guy.", he replied.

"Is your assistant a guy named Germs perhaps?"

Apollo promptly burst into laughter. He was laughing so hard that he had to hold his sides. Really, it was not that good of a joke.

"Alright, it was me. You know what they say. Do not mix work and pleasure. Apollo did that once and the result was not pretty.", he said shuddering.

"Hey! You promised you will not talk about that incident.", Apollo shouted at Hermes.

I really hoped they were talking about something innocent like playing video games. I covered my ears just in case. There were some aspects of a male god's life that I was better off not knowing.

I quickly uncovered my ears when I noticed them turning to me.

"What about him?", Hermes said pointing at Apollo.

I made a show of examining him from head to toe.

"I know who it is. It is my favourite uncle", Apollo sent a smug grin at Hermes, "who is going to buy me lots of chocolates.", the grin suddenly faded away from Apollo's face while Hermes started laughing.

"Yes, Apollo. Buy her chocolates. Artemis will not be happy to hear that you left her only daughter to starve.", Hermes said and started laughing again.

"Nah! My little sis wouldn't do anything to me. She loves me."

Apollo contradicted his statement a moment later by buying me an ambrosia lollipop and a packet of sweets, not that I was complaining..

It was not the usual sweets found in an ordinary mortal shop. It was a formula specially concocted and marketed by Nicholas Flamel. It had high enough nectar to give it the divine taste but low enough that demigods could eat as much as they want with out the fear of burning up.

I kept the packet in my bag and unwrapped the lollipop. I intended to share the sweets with Apollo kids despite the fact that they pretty much abandoned me when my heritage was revealed. Why? Because I am a nice girl. Naturally, I would tell them that and make them feel guilty before giving it to them. I am a hunter not a social worker.

"I heard that you threw the master bolt at Ares. Is it true?", Hermes asked.

"Nah! I electrocuted him first and then threw the master bolt at him. After all, there is no point in throwing the bolt if he flashed out before it hit him.", I replied.

They exchanged looks in a coordinated way as if they had been practicing to behave like twins..

"I totally approve. He might be my brother by the loosest of definitions but I never liked the guy.", Apollo said looking impressed, "You are your mother's child alright. I still remember the time Artemis borrowed father's lightning bolt to smite a fool who boasted in public that he would marry her. Good old times.", he said turning wistful towards the end.

"I know, right? Old Grandpa refused to let me borrow his lighting bolts. Can you believe it? Aren't grandfathers supposed to indulge their grandchildren and spoil them rotten?", I replied pouting.

They exchanged looks again. From their looks, they seemed quite relieved that I was not given free access to the lighting bolts. Uncles indeed!

"We would not know anything about grandfathers as we had never met ours but from what we heard, we prefer him in thousand pieces deep within Tartarus.", Hermes spoke.

I stiffened, my joking mood having disappeared. Apollo gave him a heated glare for spoiling the atmosphere making him look chastised. Wait, wasn't Apollo supposed to be the younger and more immature one?

"What was my mother like when she was a child?", I asked changing the subject.

"Well..."

What followed were many tales of hunting expeditions the twins undertook from Apollo's point of view. So, naturally, it was skewed in his favour. But, still, it was nice to hear things about my mother that very few people know about. It made me feel special.

It was a nice thing Apollo did, waiting for me so that I would not feel disappointed for being the only one among us who did not get to meet their parent. I know, duty before family and all that but it still sucked.

Apollo could have gone to some night club to let loose after the extra work of the last ten days and I would not have blamed him. It seemed he was more insightful than he appeared. While listening to the tales, I had a sobering realisation that there were indeed many good things that I had missed out on by being an orphan.

"What happened to the Pythian games? Why did you stop organising it?", I asked.

"After I took over the Sun domain, I was too busy to put an effort into it, I guess. Using the Mist over the mortals robbbed it off a sizeable audience too. It is a pity. You should have seen it at its peak. It was awesome just like the one who organised it.", he replied puffing up at the end.

I put on a look of surprise on my face and said, "I didn't know my mother was the one who actually organised it."

The look on his face. It was priceless. Hermes and I started laughing.

"Yes, make fun of me.", Apollo seemed disgruntled but I knew he was not seriously offended, "Kids these days have no respect for their elders."

"Don't be like that, Uncle. Deflating your head back after it gets too big to fit inside Olympus is my mother's job. I am just being the dutiful daughter taking over her responsibilities in her absence.", came my cheeky reply.

"That's true. Good job.", Hermes said giving me a thumbs up his eyes glinting with mischief.

Apollo looked at him as if he was saying Et tu Hermes.

"Anyway. As you had killed the Python too, congratulations on that by the way, you could restart the Pythian games. I wouldn't mind.", Apollo spoke.

I nearly sighed. I could easily look past his pathetic attempt at feigning nonchalance and see that he really wanted me to do it. My first impulse was to dismiss the idea but I decided to think it through.

It would take a lot of time and effort but I knew it would not be a waste. Then there was the fact that Apollo kids would be resent me for their father choosing me over one of them but that was not an issue. With carefully chosen words, I could keep one of them as the figurehead while I run it from behind the scenes. It was not like I was in it for fame or personal glory. It might be better that way in the long term as the chances of my mother giving me a sibling to pass the reins to was very low.

Even hesitant that I was, I could feel a lot of ideas go through my head. I remembered well that the demigods had nothing to look forward to in the camp other than the weekly Capture the Flag. Having a long term goal would be a good motivation for them. As much of a jackass as Ares was, he had many good ideas to motivate his kids and I had no qualms about copying them.

Pythian Games did not have to be considered as a different project if the plan took off. If it was used as a sort of inauguration ceremony, it would bolster the image and reputation of New Athens.

We would even have to consider whether it could fit inside the camp even with magic if New Athens was made bigger to accommodate the games.

Building it outside the camp would mean a lot of extra costs like buying new land, putting up new wards which would never be as strong as the sacrificial protection we had at the camp. It was not something I would consider unless there was no choice.

"I guess it is time for you to leave. Your friends seem to have finished their chat.", Apollo said bringing me out of my thoughts.

He was right. I saw the two of them coming towards me. They were talking with each other about something, perhaps comparing their talks with their parent.

"All done?", I asked to which they nodded with a smile on their faces.

"Then let's go."

I turned to the gods and said, "It was nice meeting you both. Good bye."

Apollo then looked around as if expecting someone to suddenly appear.

"You know, Hermes, I am surprised that Aphrodite hadn't arrived yet considering how eagerly she was waiting for the quest to end to talk to Iris. Wasn't she planning on intercepting her before she entered the throne room?", Apollo asked.

"Haven't you heard? Hepheastus apparently wanted Aphrodite's help in a project of his that catered to her line of expertise.", Hermes replied wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Seeing Apollo's shocked look, he continued, "I was shocked too but I then remembered Ares was not in her good books. Though it is a little suspicious that Hepheastus took off with her not long before Iris arrived at Olympus."

We slipped away before they could question us. With both the God of Truth and the God of Lies together in one place, it was better not to risk it.

X-X-X-X-X

We were soon at Manhattan heading in a taxi. Percy wanted to take a detour to see his mom and we obliged. It was good to see him truly happy. On the way, both of them told me about their conversation with their parent.

Apparently, Athena was interested in my idea and promised her unofficial support. According to her, as long as it remained a mortal endeavour, we would not have to worry about her rivals interfering like the last time. What can I say? I love being right.

I told her about Apollo's request and left the rest to her. We soon reached Sally's apartment and Percy rang the door bell.

Sally came out looking like she had never been kidnapped at all.

"Percy! Oh, thank goodness. Oh, my baby."

I hid my snicker not wanting to be impolite.

She crushed the air right out of him. We stood in the hallway as she cried and ran her hands through his hair.

Percy was shaking himself, so relieved he was to see her.

We were happy to witness it though Annabeth seemed slightly jealous.

After their little moment, I had Percy introduce Annabeth as she was meeting his mother for the first time.

She told us she had just appeared at the apartment that morning, scaring Gabe half out of his wits.

I smirked. Served him right.

She did not remember anything since the Minotaur, and could not believe it when Gabe told her Percy was a wanted criminal, traveling across the country, blowing up national monuments. She had been going out of her mind with worry all day because she had not heard the news. Gabe had forced her to go into work, saying she had a month's salary to make up and she had better get started.

Annabeth and I exchanged looks, our hands clenched. Chiron's sentiments for mortals be damned. He would soon be going to Hades the slow and painful way. I was sure Hades was quite angry right now and would love to have someone related to Percy to take his frustrations out on.

Percy swallowed back his anger and told her our story. He tried to make it sound less scary than it had been but we never made it easy for him.

Sally looked at me in shock when it came to my claiming.

He was just getting to the fight with Ares when Gabe's voice interrupted from the living room.

"Hey, Sally! That meatloaf done yet or what?"

A growl came from my throat that would have been more appropriate coming from a lion. I wondered how he would feel on being roasted over fire. He certainly had enough fat in him to cure Africa's food shortage problems. Then again, even the starving kids there might not accept something so...contaminated.

Sally closed her eyes.

"He isn't going to be happy to see you, Percy. The store got half a million phone

calls today from Los Angeles ... something about free appliances."

I smirked.

"Oh, yeah. About that..."

She managed a weak smile.

"Just don't make him angrier, all right? Come inside, children."

I wrinkled my nose and covered my mouth with a hand on entering the apartment resisting the urge to vomit. Garbage was ankle deep on the carpet. The sofa had been upholstered in beer cans. Dirty socks and underwear hung off the lampshades.

I might not have been a neat freak like Petunia but I liked everything to be nice and tidy, a byproduct of growing up in an environment that was clean and sterile enough to make hospital management jealous. Then again, Petunia had gone to a nursing college but had dropped out halfway. Considering the timing, I guessed Vernon knocked her up and she had to marry him to save face. She was never as prudish as she wanted others to believe.

Gabe and three of his big goon-like friends were playing poker at the table.

When Gabe saw Percy, his cigar dropped out of his mouth in a comical fashion. His face turned the colour of lava.

"You got nerve coming here, you little punk, bringing your idiot friends with you. I thought the police—"

I heard the sound of Annabeth gritting her teeth. For a daughter of Athena, 'idiot' was one of the biggest insults.

I grimaced. Looking at the scum, I could understand why Percy reacted the way he did to Dionysus. For all his other faults, Vernon was not an alcoholic or smoker. Atleast, he did not do it in the house.

"He's not a fugitive after all.", Sally interjected, "Isn't that wonderful, Gabe?"

Gabe looked back and forth between us. He didn't seem to think Percy's homecoming was so wonderful.

"Bad enough I had to give back your life insurance money, Sally.", he growled.

And get dumped by the airhead of a grief counsellor, I thought viciously.

"Get me the phone. I'll call the cops."

"Gabe, no!"

He raised his eyebrows.

"Did you just say 'no'? You think I'm gonna put up with this punk again? I can still press charges against him for ruining my Camaro."

"But—"

He raised his hand, and Sally flinched. It was then that I realized something. Gabe had hit his wife. I did not know when or how much but I was sure he had done it. May be it had been going on for years without Percy's knowledge if the look on his face was anything to go by.

Percy walked towards Gabe with a pen in his hand. Very scary, I know.

Gabe just laughed.

"What, punk? You gonna write on me? You touch me, and you are going to jail forever,

you understand?"

"Hey, Gabe", one of his friends interrupted, "He's just a kid."

It seemed there was someone among them who was not completely hopeless.

Gabe looked at him resentfully and mimicked in a falsetto voice: "Just a kid."

His other friends laughed like idiots.

"I'll be nice to you, punk.", Gabe showed us his tobacco-stained teeth, "I'll give you five minutes to get your stuff and clear out. After that, I call the police."

I placed a hand on Percy's shoulders. He must have seen something on my face. He did not argue.

"Tell me Gabe.", I said in a smooth and dangerous tone, "How long have you been hitting your wife?"

"What is it to you if I hit her whenever I felt like it? It's my wife.", he said as if being his wife gave him the right to hit her.

"You are lucky you are dealing with me and not my mother. She is...less merciful."

He laughed.

"What are you going to do? Stare me to death?", the fool asked not realising the danger he was in.

I let a cruel smirk come on to my face.

"Something like that, yes."

Suddenly, his eyes bulged until they looked ready to pop out and he started heaving as if he was finding it difficult to breath. He placed his hands on the left part of his chest and his face scrunched up into an expression of pain and terror.

I felt a soft hand on me and I relaxed letting Gabe free. He looked at me in fear sweating buckets.

"Children, please. Let me show you around. Wouldn't you like to see Percy's room.", Sally pleaded.

I relented. As much as I hated it, it was her family matter. I had no right to interfere in it.

The moment Sally turned her back, Annabeth took out her knife. She pointed at them, then at their crotch area and made a cutting motion with her knife with a gleeful smile on her face. They shuddered in unison and covered that area. Yes, Professor Bethy could be quite scary when she wanted to be.

If either Percy or Sally noticed Annabeth looking too pleased with herself, they did not comment on it.

Percy's room had been completely filled with Gabe's junk. There were stacks of used car batteries, a rotting bouquet of sympathy flowers with a card from somebody who'd seen his Barbara Walters interview.

"Why don't you stay here, children? I will go make something for you.", Sally said.

"No need, Mom. You look quite tired. We do not know how long Gabe will wait before causing trouble again.", Percy replied while we nodded in agreement.

"Gabe is just upset, honey.", Sally told him, "I'll talk to him later. I'm sure it will work out."

"Mom, it'll never work out. Not as long as Gabe's here."

She wrung her hands nervously.

"I can ... I'll take you to work with me for the rest of the summer. In the fall, maybe there's another boarding school—"

"Mom."

She lowered her eyes.

"I'm trying, Percy. I just... I need some time."

"Poseidon called you a queen.", Percy told her, "He said he hadn't met a woman like you in a thousand years."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. That was quite a claim for a god to make.

Her cheeks flushed.

"Percy—"

"You deserve better than this, Mom.", Percy said and we nodded in agreement again, "You should go to college, get your degree. You can write your novel, meet a nice guy maybe, live in a nice house. You don't need to protect me anymore by staying with Gabe. Let me get rid of him."

She wiped a tear off her cheek.

"You sound so much like your father," she said, "He offered to stop the tide for me once. He offered to build me a palace at the bottom of the sea. He thought he could solve all my problems with a wave of his hand."

"What's wrong with that?", Percy asked.

Her multicolored eyes seemed to look into him.

"I think you know, Percy. I think you're enough like me to understand. If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. I can't let a god take care of me ... or my son."

Sally wanted to solve her problems by herself rather than depend on someone else's mercy. As the daughter of the tomboy goddess, I could respect that. That did not mean I could not give her a push.

"Sally", I spoke calmly, "I don't want to interfere in your family matters. Your husband has been hitting you for a long time and had no qualms about openly admitting it. How can you be sure that he had not taken the same...liberties with your son?"

"Oh! No! He would not do that to Percy."

It was then that she noticed that Percy was conspicuously silent on the matter and was not meeting anyone's eyes. I guess it was a shock to all of us, even I who suggested it. Percy did not exactly act like an abused child.

Annabeth and I locked eyes. We came to a silent agreement. We would support him quietly rather than embarrass him.

"No, he didn't. He promised.", Sally muttered not so sure of herself anymore.

I spotted grief and regret in her eyes making me feel guilty even if I knew it was something she needed to hear. Then she changed. There was a fire in her eyes that was not there before. I could see what Poseidon had seen in her all those years ago. As far as appearance was concerned, Amphritite and Sally were as different as chalk and sugar. But, both of them were strong willed women who preferred to fight their own battles. Both of them would go to any lengths to protect their loved ones.

"I had received a package earlier. I didn't understand then what it was for but now I do. Gabe is a problem I invited into our lives. It was nice of you all to stand up for me but it is only fair that I be the one to take care of him. Have faith in me, Percy.", she said.

Percy nodded. I was surprised. It was an unexpected development if my guess was right. Amphitrite acknowledging Percy's efforts was one thing but going out of the way to help his mother was something else.

"In that case, we will let you deal with him. If you need any help...", Percy said knowing well that she would not ask for help.

"Where will you go, Percy?"

"Half-Blood Hill."

"For the summer ... or forever?"

"I guess that depends."

They locked eyes, and I sensed that they had reached an agreement. They would see how things stood at the end of the summer.

Sally kissed his forehead.

"You'll be a hero, Percy. You'll be the greatest of all."

She then looked at us and said, "Take care of yourself, children."

We walked with Sally to the front door.

"Sally, if you don't mind me asking, are you a legacy? Chiron told me that many of the mortals that can see through the Mist tend to be legacies. I have never seen eyes like those in the mortal world either.", I asked.

The question drew Percy's interest and he looked at his mother. I guess he did not have the time to ask about it last time.

The only ones, to my knowledge, who had multi coloured eyes were Aphrodite and her children.

"To be honest, I don't know. My parents died in a plane crash when I was very young, too young to really remember them. My uncle...didn't like talking about them. From the few photos I have of them, my father seemed to be a handsome man though I don't know whether he was descended from the Love Goddess. I have always loved the sea though, long before I met your father, Percy. I have always felt as if it was where I was meant to be."

The last part was interesting. If Sally really was the legacy of a sea deity or spirit, that would mean the 'plane crash' might not have been an accident.

Perhaps, I should not have asked it. Some secrets of the past were better off buried.

"Leaving so soon, punk?", Gabe called after Percy, "Good riddance."

Sally's eyebrow twitched in irritation. I shook my head. Digging his own grave was not enough for the moron. He had to pour acid into it.

"Hey, Sally.", he yelled, "What about that meat loaf, huh?"

A steely look of anger flared in Sally's eyes, and I was now sure that we were leaving her in good hands. Her own.

"The meat loaf is coming right up, dear.", she told Gabe, "Meat loaf surprise."

She looked at us and winked.

The last thing I saw as the door swung closed was Sally staring at Gabe and his goons as if she was contemplating how they would look as garden statues.

X-X-X-X-X

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. It makes me feel better to know that a lot of people loved it.

Thunder-Claw03 : Something should be left for Artemis after all.

I have read many HP/PJO crossovers and I am surprised that none of them had connected the thick book with the picture of a wizard to Gilderoy Lockhart.

I have placed a possibility of Sally and by extension Percy being a legacy. I might not go with it but I would like to hear your opinion just the same. If you want it, I would consider any suggestions on the sea side.


End file.
